t.;;::;'i;;;;tti|'lili;t/;:!':!;;lr,"j;i:!;';;l" 
f*?"/.':!::!^!!;! tr!»:f;»::|i;6;i:!i;:;r : ' 

;{i(:.'is;':t;j;!ir>v,i)i:r.i;<:(:i;:-(;i':: ■■ 



,., •.til.!, Li .»•;'.«•. 



^({jiV.':\;wr;f:;ji::,;;,::;(. 



:.r.L 



;,!.:.• 



ti;;;ii;^;'t!'.;i;t.(;i:<;;:::';::f;!i'!;;:;i';ii!'- ■ 
'''■";";;ri!i:r''!^!':';:;i;7;;!Ji;(;r;;i;(!/.' 

•'it!!'.(^iS!!.'(;;;:;:;f;f:::c;;::'.';:; 
i:i;;;;;;t::;t!;;f:;:6!?:'c6;':! '••':!,■ :..'. 
f;;!Xf;i!i':ii;«^Ja5i;^i;!;.';i:i:r'.:n;i;, 

!,.,.. ./■.^.^■'...■.'ii;.>'''''"t',''"V,'; • ■'■ 

iO'l'.llvk* .l('l'tW'l'i»|».'t'- (•IfK.!;'..!'.. 

1i;i;:t;t'j;';iH:;iN.;!iSiti::'(r.'!;(iii!:i'.;.' 
:i;v;»:t!t;t)ni;.:(;<;;:;;i:';t,^;;;t:{;i;;;i:t:i,;_;,j. 



!,':i;t(';i::i:r! 



in:;:!:; 



,1.1 ii'.'i'ii.w i'./i« tr"f';'«"Mii I"' 

1,1 !li^,;;:.;:; ;;,:!.:,:;::!. .a:,:^:!!,: 

,(. ,.,1,1,, ;> . *', ,.. M.ij'ji.i. I.I.I. 1^, 

ai[(.,;(.v'ii::!t;:;c''':;*i;lf:u:i;<:';.f:.';!,... 
Ki::i^;?:;!;(:;:;:;;i;|.:u;t;i;t;;i:!;i.5)i^ 

Si{y;;'oirf.--i^r^::i;«ir!!:o;t;t;': 

,i.a,:,i,i.-.M.,l.i,...^^iH'V 'trr'Tir:";: 




i'!i;i;i;;:';[;<:::i;ci;v''^n^c:';;/;i;:,'r.-{'''-( 

:t;(;::!'^;VJ.(;c;';i;:;(;r<;;;i:i;(ii;-;!r;ii;;':'i':!i'(i'; 
t(V;(;t;t;c('ijir i::-vH.';:-!;vi'Jt.vV''':j'i 'j^T'', 



;<.i;!;.':r.: 



.f;i;;;!:t. 



!;ti:r;,c',;;i,i;(:i;i, 



•1/ :»i[;';'l<;!ii;»i!;ir!<-i'!i^i'''' 

jjj,UYji,u...;i,v,.,.,i,Y.,,Ij.j..,...;| U;..j..j.;; 

.{;i;;;-i.f:;;f;;;;;i!i;i:.;;::;;;i;V:;.:.'.^ 
■:^l;u,^;f!w;<.',^;w;ul;l i;r;i;^^ ■ ',:;• :, .'. ■ 




^i^^f£ 



ti;:: 



;<;;;!;;, 
'.i;;;;^;; 







Class IE!/ 6 Oil 



.Kv57& 



THE 



EARLY JESUIT MISSIONS 

XOliTH AMERICA; 



COMPILED AND TRANSLATED FROM THE LETTERS OF 
THE FRENCH JESUITS, WITH NOTES. 



RIGHT REV. WILLIAM INGRAHAM KIP, D.D. 

Bishop of California. Homrary Member N. Y. Historical Society. 



ALBANY, N. Y : 
JOEL MUNSELL, 82 STATE STREET. 

1873. 



7^ 



mI 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1846, 

By William Ingraham Kip, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the 

Northern District of New York. 






\ 



0' 






4 



TO 



THE HON. GEORGE FOISOM. 

IN REMEMBRANCE OF 

MANY PLEASANT HOURS PASSED IN HIS COMPANY 
THIS VOLUME 

IS INSCRIBED AS A SLIGHT TESTIMONY OP REGARD. 



PUBLLSILERB' NOTICE. 



This work was first publiBlied in 1845. It was 
the first time this chapter of history had been 
placed before the public in this country, and it 
met with a hearty reception. 

Having been out of print for many years, the 
publishers think thoy are performing an ac- 
ceptable service to the public in issuing this 
new edition, with the addition of an index. 

Albany, 1866. 



CONTENTS. 



Page 
Missionary Life among the Abnakis. 1722 1 

The Wanderings of Father Rasles. 1689—1723 . . 21 

The Death of Father Rasles. 1724 67 

Catherine, the Iroquois Saint. 1656 — 1715 79 

The Iroquois Martyrs. 1688 — 1693 ....... 117 

Montcalm's Expedition to Destroy Fort George. 1757 . . .137 

Father Marest's Journeys through Illinois and Michigan. 1712 191 

Voyage up the Mississippi. 1727 229 

Mission to the Arkansas. 1727 255 

The Massacre by the Natchez. 1729 265 

The Mission to the Illinois. 1750 . . . • , , , .313 



PREFACE 



There is no page of our country's history more touching 
and romantic, than that which records the labors and suf- 
ferings of the Jesuit Missionaries. In these western wilds 
they were the earliest pioneers of civilization and faith. 
The wild hunter or the adventurous traveller, who, pene- 
trating the forests, came to new and strange tribes, often 
found that years before, the disciples of Loyola had pre- 
ceded him in that wilderness. Traditions of the " Black 
robes" still lingered among the Indians. On some moss- 
grown tree they pointed out the traces of their work, and 
in wonder he deciphered, carved side by side on its trunk, 
the emblem of our salvation and the lilies of the Bourbons. 
Amid the snows of Hudson's Bay — among the woody isl- 
ands and beautiful inlets of the St. Lawrence — by the coun- 
cil fires of the Hurons and the Algonquins — at the sources 
of the Mississippi, where, first of the white men, their eyes 
looked upon the Falls of St. Anthony, and then traced down 
the course of the bounding river, as it rushed onward to 
earn its title of " Father of Waters " — on the vast prairies 
of Illinois and Missouri — among the blue hills which hem in 
the salubrious dwellings of the Cherokees — and in the thick 
canebrakes of Louisiana — everywhere were found the 
members of the " Society of Jesus." Marquette, Johet, 
Brebeuf, Jogues, Lallemand, Rasles, and Marest, are the 
names which the West should ever hold in remembrance. 



PREFACE. 



But it was only by suffering and trial that these early 
laborers won their triumphs. Many of them too were men 
who had stood high in camps and courts, and could con- 
trast their desolate state in the solitary wigwam with the 
refinement and affluence which had waited on their early 
years. But now all these were gone. Home — the love of 
kindred — the golden ties of relationship — all were to be for- 
gotten by these stern and high-wrought men, and they 
were often to go forth into the wilderness, without an ad- 
viser on their way, save their God. Through long and 
sorrowful years they were obliged ■ to " sow in tears" before 
they could "reap in joy." Every self-denial gathered 
around them which could wear upon the spirit and cause 
the heart to fail. Mighty forests were to be threaded on 
foot, and the great lakes of the West passed in the feeble 
bark canoe. Hunger and cold and disease were to be en- 
countered, until nothing but the burning zeal within could 
keep alive the wasted and sinking frame. But worse than 
all were those spiritual evils which forced them to weep 
and pray in darkness. They had to endure the contradic- 
tion of those they came to save, who often after listening 
for months with apparent interest, so that the Jesuit began 
to hope they would soon be numbered with his converts, 
suddenly quitted him with cold and derisive words, and 
turned again to the superstitions of their tribe. 

Most of them too were martyrs to their faith. It will 
be noticed in reading this volume, how few of their number 
" died the common death of all men," or slept at last in the 
grounds which their Church had consecrated. Some, like 
Jogues and du Poisson and Souel, sunk beneath the blows 
of the infuriated savages, and their bodies were thrown oat 
to feed the vulture, whose shriek, as he flapped his wings 
above them, had been their only requiem. Others, Hke 
Brebeuf and Lallemand and Senat, died at the stake, and 
their ashes " flew no marble tells us whither," while the 



PREFACE. 



dusky sons of the forest stood around, and mingled their 
wild yells of triumph with the martyrs' dying prayers. 
Others again, like the aged Marquette, sinking beneath 
years of toil, fell asleep in the wilderness, and their sorrow- 
ing companions dug their graves in the green turf, where 
for many years the rude forest ranger stopped to invoke 
their names, and bow in prayer before the cross which 
marked the spot. 

But did these things stop the progress of the Jesuits ? 
The sons of Loyola never retreated. The mission they 
founded in a tribe ended only with the extinction of the 
tribe itself. Their lives were made up of fearless devoted- 
ness and heroic self-sacrifice. Though sorrowing for the 
dead, they pressed forward at once to occupy their places, 
and, if needs be, share their fate. " Nothing " — wrote Father 
le Petit after describing the martyrdom of two of his breth- 
ren — " nothing has happened to these two excellent mission- 
aries for which they were not prepared when they devoted 
themselves to the Indian Missions." If the flesh trembled, 
the spirit seemed never to falter. Each one indeed felt 
that he was "baptized for the dead," and that his own 
blood, poured out in the mighty forests of the West, would 
bring down perhaps greater blessings on those for whom 
he died, than he could win for them by the labors of a life. 
He realized that he was " appointed unto death." " Ibo, et 
non redibo," were the prophetic words of Father Jogues, 
when, for the last time, he departed to the Mohawks. 
When Lallemand was bound to the stake, and for seven- 
teen hours his excruciating agonies were prolonged, his 
words of encouragement to his companion were, " Brother ! 
we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, 
and to men." When Marquette was setting out for the 
sources of the Mississippi, and the friendly Indians who 
had known him, wished to turn him from his purpose by 
declaring "Those distant nations never spare the stran- 

1* 



PREFACE. 



gers," the calm reply of the missionary was, " I shall gladly 
lay down my life for the salvation of souls." And then, 
the red sons of the wilderness bowed with him in prayer 
and before the simple cross of cedar, and among the stately 
groves of elm and maple which line the St. Lawrence, 
there rose that old chant which the aged man had been 
accustomed to hear in the distant Cathedrals of his own 
land — 

" Vexilla Regis prodeimt ; 
Fulget Crucis mysterium."* 

But how little is known of all these men ! The history 
of their bravery and sufferings, touching as it is, has been 
comparatively neglected. And it is to supply in some de- 
gree this deficiency, and to give at least a specimen of 
what the early Jesuits endured and dared, that this volume 
has been prepared. It is sent forth merely as a contribu- 
tion to the historical records of the country. The early 
Jesuit missions form indeed a page of our history which 
has never yet been written, and the interest which the 
writer has taken in them is entirely accidental. During 
the last year he found in a bookstore in Europe,- a set of 
the " Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses, Ecrites des Missions 
Etrangeres," in thirty-four volumes, scattered through 
which are letters from the Jesuits in our own country. 
There are but few copies of this work in America, and it is 
thus rendered inaccessible to most persons, while its size 
would prevent others from attempting to investigate it. It 
has therefore remained only as a storehouse from which 
some of our historians have drawn occasional facts with 
regard to the early discoveries in our country. Having 
become interested in reading it, the writer determined to 

* The banners of Heaven's king advance, 
The mystery of the Cross shines forth. 

Bancroft^ United States, vol. iii. 156 



PREFACE. 



attempt a literal translation of the letters from our own 
part of the continenc The notes he has added throughout 
the work are designated by brackets. The map prefixed 
is a facsimile of one published by the Jesuits in 1664, and 
is to be found in the " Relation de ce qui s'est passe en la 
Nouvelle France, en I'annee 1664." 

It would have been easy to have woven the history 
of some of these missionaries into a romantic and touch- 
ing narrative, but the. writer preferred allowing them to 
speak for themselves, and to tell their own story. It is 
more interesting to read the very words these earnest 
laborers wrote more than a century ago, when camping 
in the wilderness, or sharing the wigwams of the rude 
savage. They portray their own views and feelings. 
They lead us, as no one else does, into the inner and pri- 
vate life of our Aborigines. 

Some parts of the volume contain in successive letters 
the entire missionary life of an individual. Such are the 
the first two, which give the labors of Rasles as related by 
himself, while the third, by Father de la Chasse, concludes 
the account by the narrative of his death. So again, the 
eighth gives the diary of Father du Poisson from the time 
of his arrival in New Orleans, until he reached the distant 
scene of his labors among the Arkansas — the ninth is his 
own account of his missionary field — and the tenth, by an- 
other Jesuit, tells of his martyrdom two years afterwards 
in the massacre by the Natchez. The fourth letter in this 
volume, containing the life of the Mohawk maiden whose 
reputation still lives in the tradition of the North, as the 
Geneveva of New France, shows how the faith was pre- 
sented to these savages, and how they received it. The 
sixth gives us for the first time an account of the expedition 
of Montcalm, written at the time by an eye-witness, while 
the journeys of Father Marest over the wide prairies of 



xii PREFACE. 

Illinois and Michigan, by their romantic interest, we think, 
will arrest the attention of every reader. 

It has ever been through life the object of the writer, 
to reverence goodness wherever seen and by whatever 
name it may be called, and therefore he is willing to pay 
his tribute to the fearless devotedness of these men. His 
heart can respond with joy to the triumphs they won for 
the Cross, when the wild tribes of the West bowed to the 
Emblem of our common faith,* even though he differs 
widely from them in their theology, and feels that often, as 
in the case of Catherine, the superstitions and errors of 
their system broke a noble spirit which might otherwise 
have lived for years, a light in the wilderness. Yet beau- 
tiful, notwithstanding all this, was the life of the Mohawk 
maiden — beautiful for the faith it showed, and the stern 
devotion beneath which even the body was crushed, — and 
sweetly solemn in the ears of the Iroquois must have 
sounded the Dies Irce, as they slowly bore her remains 
over the plain of the Madeleine to their last resting-place. 

But let not any carry this feeling too far, or from admi- 
ration of the romance which gathers around the labors of 
the Jesuits, feel as if the claim of devotedness was to be 
confined to them alone. Our own Church has equally 
her Acta Sanctorum, and he who with an unquickened 
pulse can read the record of her sons who " counted not 
their Hves dear unto themselves," must be sadly wanting 



The Priest 



Believed liimself tlie fables that he taught : 
Corrupt their forms, and yet those forms at least 
Preserv'd a salutary faith that wrought, 
Maugre the alloy, the saving end it sought. 
Benevolence had gain'd such empire there, 
That even superstition had been brought 
An aspect of humanity to wear. 
And make the weal of man its first and only care.'' 

Southei/s Tale of Paraguay ^ Cant. iv. 10, 



PREFACE. 



in a true appreciation of all that is self-denying and holy. 
The annals of no Church give a loftier picture of self- 
sacrifice than that furnished by Henry Martyn, when he 
abandoned the honors of academic life and exchanged 
his happy home at Cambridge for the solitary bungalow 
at Dinapore — the daily disputes with his Moonshee and 
Pundit — or the bitter opposition of the Mahommedans at 
Sliiraz. And no where do we read of a nobler martyr- 
dom than his, when he lay expiring at Tocat, without a 
friend to close his eyes or a sympathizing voice to ad- 
dress him. So too it was when Heber left the peaceful 
retreat of Hodnet, to sufter and die under the burning 
heats of India, or Selwyn in our day consecrated him- 
self to this cause among the wild savages of New Zea- 
land. But the time would fail us were we to speak of 
Buchanan, or Thomason, or Middleton, or James, or Cor- 
rie, — " these all died in the faith" — or of Wilson, and Spen- 
cer, and Broughton, and Carr, who in this generation went 
out to distant heathen lands, "not knowing the things 
which should befall them there." Many a humble Mis- 
sionary indeed, who is now suffering from poverty and 
an unhealthy climate in our own western wilds, and 
w^hose record is written only in Heaven, is " dying daily" 
and enduring as true a martyrdom for the Gospel's sake, 
as any Jesuit whose history is given in this volume. 

There is one thought however which has constantly oc- 
curred to us in the preparation of these letters, and which 
we cannot but suggest. Look over the world and read 
the history of the Jesuit missions. After one or two 
generations they have always come to naught. There 
is not a recorded instance of their permanency, or their 
spreading each generation wider and deeper, like our own 
missions in India. Thus it has been in China, Japan, 
South America, and our own land. For centuries the 
Jesuit foreign missionaries have been like those " beating 



PREFACE. 



the air." And yet, greater devotion to the cause than 
theirs has never been seen since the Apostles' days. 
Why then was this result ? If " the blood of the mar- 
tyrs be the seed of the Church," v^hy is this the only 
instance in which it has not proved so ? Must there not 
have been something wrong in the whole system — some 
grievous errors mingled with their teaching, which thus 
denied them a measure of success proportioned to their 
efforts ? 

The preparation of this volume has formed the relax- 
ation of the writer, when he wished at times to turn from 
the severer studies of his profession. Probably he should 
not have ventured to send it to the press, but for the en- 
couragement of one, whose own publications have rendered 
his name well known to the students of historical research 
in our country, and who amidst the engrossing cares of 
active life, can still cultivate those scholar-like tastes and 
acquirements, which unfortunately are so rare among us. 
To him therefore the writer felt he could most appropri- 
ately inscribe this volume. 



MISSIONARY LIFE AMONG THE ABNAKIS 



1722. 



LETTER I 



FEOM FATHER SEBASTIEX RASLES, MISSIONARY OF THE SOCIETY 



At Nanrantsouak,t this 15th of October, 1722. 

MONSIEUR, MY DEAR NEPHEW, 

The Peace of our Lord be with you : 

During the more than thirty years that I have passed in the 
depth of the forests with the Savages, I have been so occupied in 
instructing them, and training them to Christian virtues, that 
I have scarcely had time to write many letters, even to those who 
are most dear to me. I cannot, however refuse you the little 
detail of my occupations for which you ask. I owe it, indeed, to 
the gratitude I feel for the strong interest which your friendship 
induces you to take in all that concerris me. 

I am in a district of that vast extent of country which is 
between Acadia and New England. Two other Missionaries, as 
well as myself, are engaged there among the Abnakis\ Indians, 

[* Charlevoix writes the name Rasles. The early New England histo- 
rians spell it Ralhj while the missionary himself in a letter of Nov. 1712, 
signs it Rale. The latter form has been adopted by Francis in his Life. 
See p. 164.] 

[t Now Norridgwock in Maine. The little Indian village was near the 
present site of this town, on a beautiful bend of the river.] 

[X The meaning of this Indian word is, " Men of the East," and it was a 
name formerly given to all the tribes on the Eastern coast of the continent, 
but afterwards restricted to those inhabiting Nova Scotia, the territory of 
the present state of Maine, and a part of Canada, Francis' Life of Rale^ 

2 



JESUITS IN AMERICA. 



but we are separated very far from each other. The AbnaJcis 
Indians, besides the two villages which they have in the midst 
of the French colony, have also three other considerable settle- 
ments on the borders of a river. There are three rivers which 
empty into the sea, to the south of Canada, between New Eng- 
land and Acadia. 

The village in which I live is called JVanrantsouak, and is 
situated on the banks of a river which edipties into the sea, at the 
distance of thirty leagues below. I have erected a Church there, 
which is neat and elegantly ornamented. I have, indeed, thought 
it my duty to spare nothing either in the decoration of the build- 
ing itself, or in the beauty of those articles which are used in our 
holy ceremonies. Vestments, chasubles, copes, and holy vessels, 
all are highly appropriate, and would be esteemed so even in our 
Churches in Europe. I have also formed a little choir of about 
forty young Indians, who assist at Divine Service in cassocks and 
surplices. They have each their own appropriate functions, as 
much to serve in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as to chant the 
Divine Offices for the consecration of the Holy Sacrament, and 
for the processions which they make with great crowds of Indians, 
who often come from a long distance to engage in these exercises ; 
and you would be edified by the beautiful order they observe and 
the devotion they show.* 

p. 1 66. In all cases through this volume the orthography of proper names 
has been strictly preserved, as written by the Jesuits. It is interesting 
sometimes to see the changes through which names have since passed.] 

[* The following extract from Whittier's beautiful poem of Mogg Megone 
places before us the scene which in those days must have been witnessed on 
the spot : — 

" On the brow of a hill, which slopes to meet 
The flowing river, and bathe its feet — 
The bare-washed rock, and the drooping grass, 
And the creeping vine as the waters pass — 
A rude and unshapely chapel stands, 
Built up in that wild by unskilled hands 



MISSIONARY LIFE AMONG THE ABNAKIS. 3 

They have built two Chapels at three hundred paces distance 
from the village ; the one, which is dedicated to the Holy Virgin, 
5nd where can be seen her image in relief, is above on the river ; 
the other, which is dedicated to the Guardian Angel, is below, on 
the same river. As they are both on the road which leads either 
into the woods or into the fields, the Indians can never pass 
without offering up their prayers. There is a holy emulation 
among the females of the village, as to who shall most ornament 
the Chapel of which they have care, when the procession is to 
take place there ; all who have any jewelry, or pieces of silk or 
calico, or other things of that kind, employ them to adorn it. 

The great blaze of light contributes not a little to the beauty 
of the Church and of the Chapels, it not being necessary for me 
to be saving of the wax, for the country itself furnishes it abun- 
dantly. The islands of the sea are bordered, by a kind of wild 
laurel which in autumn produces a berry a little like that borne 
by the juniper. They fill their kettles with these, and boil them 
with water. In proportion as the water thickens, the green wax 
rises to the surface, where it remains. From a measure ,^f ?bout 

Yet the traveller knows it a place of prayer, 
For the holy sign of the Cross is there ; 
And should he chance at that place to be, 
Of a Sabbath morn, or some hallowed day, 
When prayers are made and masses are said. 
Some for the living, and some for the dead, — 
Well might the traveller start to see 
The tall dark forms, that take their way 
From the birch canoe, on the river shore. 
And the forest paths, to that chapel door ; 
And marvel to mark the naked knees ' 

And the dusky foreheads bending these, — 
And, stretching his long thiu arris over these 

In blessing and in prayer. 
Like a shrouded spectre, pale and tall, 
In his coarse white vesture, Father Rallel*'] 



JESUITS IN AMERICA. 



three bushels of this berry, can be made almost four pounds of 
wax ; it is very pure and beautiful, but neither sweet nor pliable. 
After several trials I have found, that by mingling with it an 
equal quantity of fat, either of beef or mutton, or of the elk, 
beautiful tapers can be made, firm, and excellent for use. With 
twenty-four pounds of wax and as much of fat, can be made 
two hundred tapers of more than a foot in length. A vast quan- 
tity of these laurels are found on the islands and on the borders 
of the sea, so that one person in a day can easily gather four 
measures, or twelve bushels of the berry. It hangs down like 
grapes from the branches of the tree. I have sent one branch of 
it to Quebec, together with a cake of the wax, and it has been 
found to be very excellent. 

None of my neophytes fail to repair twice in each day to the 
Church, early in the morning to hear Mass, and in the evening to 
assist at the prayers, which I offer up at sunset. As it is neces- 
sary to fix the imagination of these Indians, which is too easily 
distracted, I have composed some appropriate prayers for them to 
make, to enable thcx^ oo enter into the spirit of the august sacri- 
nce of our altars. They chant them, or else recite them in a loud 
voice during Mass. Besides the Sermons which I deliver before 
them on Sundays and festival-days, I scarcely pass a week-day 
without making a short exhortation to inspire them with a horror 
of those vices to which they are most addicted, or to strengthen 
them in the practice of some virtue. 

After the Mass, I teach the Catechism to the children and 
young persons, while a large number of aged people, who are 
present, assist and answer with perfect docility the questions 
which I put to them. The rest of the morning, even to mid-day, 
is set apart for seeing those who wish to speak with me. They 
come to me in crowds, to make me a participator in their pains 
and inquietudes, or to communicate to me causes of complaint 
against their countrymen, or to consult me on their marriages 



MISSIONARY LIFE AMONG THE ABNAKIS. 5 

and otlier affairs of importance. It is, therefore, necessary for me 
to instruct some, to console others, to re-establish peace in families 
at variance, to calm troubled consciences, to correct others by 
reprimands mingled with softness and charity ; in fine, as far as 
it is possible, to render them all contented. 

After mid-day, I visit the sick and go round among the cabins 
of those who require more particular instructions. If they hold 
a council, which is often the case with these Indians, they depute 
one of the principal men of the assembly to ask me to assist in 
their deliberations. I accordingly repair to the place where their 
council is held ; if I think that they are pursuing a wise course, 
I approve of it ; if, on the contrary, I have anything to say in 
opposition to their decision, I declare my sentiments, supporting 
them by weighty reasons, to which they conform. My advice 
always fixes their resolutions. They do not even hold their feasts 
without inviting me. Those who have been asked carry each one 
a dish, of wood or bark to the place of entertainment. I give the 
benediction on the food, and they place in each dish the portion 
which has been prepared. After this distribution has been made 
I say grace, and each one retires ; for such is the order and usage 
of their feasts. 

In the midst of such continual occupations, you cannot imagine 
with what rapidity the days pass by. There have been seasons, 
when I scarcely had time to recite my Office, or to take a little 
repose during the night ; for discretion is not a virtue which par- 
ticularly belongs to the Indians. But for some years past I have 
made it a rule, not to speak with any person from the prayers in 
the evening until the time of mass on the next morning. I have 
therefore forbidden them to interrupt me during this period, 
except for some very important reason, as, for example, to assist 
a person who is dying, or some other afi'air of the kind which it 
is impossible to put ofi". I set apart this tim^ to spend in prayer, 
or to repose myself "from the fatigues of the day. 



JESUITS IN AMERICA. 



Wlien the Indians repair to the sea-shore, where they pass 
some months in hunting the ducks, bustards, and other birds, 
which are found there in large numbers, they build on an island 
a Church, which they cover with bark, and near it they erect a 
little cabin for my residence. I take care to transport thither a 
part of our ornaments, and the service is performed with the 
same decency and the same crowds of people as at the village. 

You see then, my dear nephew, what are my occupations 
For that which relates to me personally I will say to you, that I 
neither hear, nor see, nor speak to any but the Indians. My 
food is very simple and light. I have never been able to con- 
form my taste to the meat or the smoked fish of the savages, and 
my nourishment is only composed of corn which they pound, and 
of which I make each day a kind of hominy, which I boil in 
water. The only luxury in which I indulge is a little sugar, 
which I mix with it to correct its insipidity. This is never want- 
ing in the forest. In the Spring, the maple trees contain a liquor 
very similar to that which is found in the sugar canes of the 
Southern Islanc^^. The women employ themselves in collecting 
this in vessels of bark, as it is distilled from the trees. They 
then boil it, and draw off from it a very good sugar. That which 
is drawn off first is always the most beautiful. 

The whole nation of the Abnakis is Christian, and very zeal- 
ous to preserve their religion. This attachment to the Catholic 
faith, has induced them, even to this time, to prefer our alliance, 
to advantages which might be derived from an alliance with the 
English who are their neighbors. These advantages would be 
too of very great importance to our Indians. The facility of 
trading with the English, from whom they are distant but one or 
two days' journey, the ease with which the journey can be made, 
the admirable market they would find there for the purchase of 
the merchandise which suits them : these things certainly hold 
out very great inducements. In place of which, in going to 



MISSIONARY LIFE AMONG THE ABNAKIS 7 

Quebec, it is necessary to take more than a fortnight to reach 
there, they have to furnish themselves with provisions for the 
journey, they have different rivers to pass, and frequent portages 
to make.* They are aware of these inconveniences, and are by 
no means indifferent to their interests, but their faith is infinitely 
more dear to them, and they believe that if they detach them- 
selves from our alliance, they will shortly»find themselves without 
a missionary, without sacraments, without a sacrifice, with 
scarcely any exercise of their religion, and in manifest danger 
of being replunged into their former heathenism. This is the 
bond which unites them to the French. Attempts have been 
vainly made to break it, sometimes by wiles which were held out 
to their simplicity, and sometimes by acts of violence, which 
could not fail to irritate a nation exceedingly jealous of its rights 
and liberties. The commencement of this misunderstanding 
could not but alarm me, for it made me fear the dispersion of 
that little community which Providence had for so many years 
confided to my care, and for the sake of which I would willingly 
sacrifice what remains to me of life. Let me mention to you 
then some of the different artifices to which the English had re- 
course to detach them from our alliance. 

The Governor-general of New England, some years ago, sent 
to the lower part of the river, the most able of the ministers of 
Boston,! to establish there a school to instruct the children of 
the Indians, and maintain them at the expence of the govern- 

* To make a portage is to transport their canoe and baggage from one 
river to another, with which it has no communication. These portages are 
sometimes of many leagues, and it is the principal reason -which induces the 
Indians to use canoes of bark, since they are very light and easily trans- 
ported. 

[t This, as we learn from his Journal, which is still preserved in Boston, 
was the Rev. Joseph Baxter of Medfield, Mass. He graduated at Harvard 
College in 1693, and had a high reputation in the colony at that time^] 



JESUITS IN AMERICA. 



ment. As the pay of the minister was to increase in proportion 
to the number of scholars, he neglected nothing which could at- 
tract them. He went himself to seek them out ; he caressed 
them ; he made them little presents ; he pressed them to come 
and see him ; in fine, he gave himself the trouble of many use- 
less manoeuvres during two months, without being able to gain a 
single child. The contempt which they showed for his caresses 
and his invitations did not repulse him. He therefore addressed 
himself to the Indians themselves ; he put to them different 
questions with regard to their belief, and on hearing the answers 
they made, he turned into ridicule the Sacraments, Purgatory, 
the Invocation of Saints, the Eosary, the Cross and Images, the 
lighting of our Churches, and all those practices of piety so sa- 
credly observed in the Catholic religion. 

I thought it my duty to oppose these first seeds of seduction, 
and therefore wrote a frank letter to the minister, in which I re- 
marked to him, that my Christians knew how to believe the veri- 
ties the Catholic faith set forth, but were not able disputants ; 
that since they were not sufficiently learned to resolve the diffi- 
culties he had proposed, he apparently had intended they should 
be communicated to me, and that I therefore would avail myself 
with pleasure of this occasion which offered, to confer with him 
either orally or by letters ; that with this I would send him a 
manuscript, which I would beg him to read with serious atten- 
tion. In this manuscript, which was about a hundred pages in 
length, I proved from Scripture, from tradition, and from theo- 
logical arguments, those truths which he had attacked with so 
much misplaced pleasantry. I added also, in finishing my letter, 
that if he was not satisfied with my proofs, I should expect from 
him a refutation precise and sustained by theological arguments, 
not by vague reasons which proved nothing, still less by injurious 
reflections, which were neither suited to our profession, nor to the 
importance of the subjects in dispute. 



MISSIONARY LIFE AMONG THE ABNAKIS. 9 

Two days after lie had received my letter, he departed to re- 
turn to Boston, sending me a short answer, which I was obliged 
to read over many times before I could compreliend its meaning, 
the style was so obscure and the Latin so extraordinary. I com- 
prehended at last, by dint of study, that he complained I had at- 
tacked him without reason ; that zeal for the salvation of their 
souls had led him to show the way to Heaven to these Indians, 
and that, for the rest, my proofs were childish and ridiculous. 
Having sent to him at Boston a second letter, in which I set 
forth his blunders,* he answered me at the end of two years, 
without entering into the subject in dispute, merely declaring 
that I exhibited a spirit jealous and critical, and which bore the 
marks of a temperament inclined to be choleric, f Thus termi- 
nated our dispute, which banished the minister, and obliged him 
to abandon the project he had formed of seducing away my 
neophytes. 

This first attempt having met with so little success, they had 
recourse to another artifice. An Englishman asked permission 
of the Indians to build on their river a kind of storehouse, to en- 
able him to trade with them, and he promised to sell them his 
goods at a much more favorable rate even than they could pur- 
chase in Boston. The Indians, who found it for their advantage, 
and were thus spared the trouble of a journey to Boston, willing- 

[* He found fault with amicus, used as an adjective instead of a substan- 
tive : "with merer e^ which should have been the deponent mereri; with wo?fl, 
in the sense of a mill instead of a millstone ; with domus for the accusative 
plural, which, the critic asserted, should be domos^ and the V[kQP—Frnncis> 
Life, p. 258.] 

[t Dr. Francis says, he has seen this letter, which was in the possession of 
a connection of the Baxter family. It was either a copy kept by Mr. Bax- 
ter, or was sent back to him after the seizure of Rale's papers. It has now 
been placed among the papers of the Mass. Hist. Society. In it the Writer 
gives a stout defence of his grammar, and then, " turns the edge of the 
critical knife upon Rale's own style.'^] 

2* 



10 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

ly consented. Another Englishman, a short time afterwards, 
asked the same permission, offering conditions even more advan- 
tageous than the first. It was accorded to him with equal wil- 
lingness. This easiness of the Indians emboldened the English 
to establish themselves on the whole length of the river, without 
even asking permission, and they built their houses there, and 
erected their forts, three of which were of stone. 

This proximity of the English was at first a source of pleasure 
to the Indiana, who did not perceive the snare which had been 
laid for them, and who only looked at the satisfaction they ex- 
perienced in finding their new guests to be all they could desire. 
But at length, seeing themselves insensibly surrounded, as it 
were, by the habitations of the English, they began to open their 
eyes and to feel a mistrust. They demanded of the English, by 
what right they thus established themselves on their lands, and 
even erected their forts there. The answer which they received, 
that the King of France had ceded their country to the King of 
England, threw them into the greatest alarm ; for there is no In- 
dian nation but suffers most impatiently what they regard as sub- 
jection to any other power, whatever it may be ; they term them 
indeed their allies, but nothing more. The Indians, therefore, 
immediately despatched some of their number to M. le Marquis 
de Vaudreuil, Governor-general of New France, to learn whether 
it was true that the king had thus indeed disposed of a country 
of which he was not the master. It was not difficult to calm 
their disquietude, for it was only necessary to explain to them 
the articles of the treaty of Utrecht, which related to the Indi- 
ans, and they appeared content. 

About this time a score of Indians had one day entered the 
dwelling of one of the English, either for the purpose of traffic, 
or to repose themselves. They had been there but a short time, 
when they saw the house suddenly surrounded by a company of 
nearly two hundred armed men. " We are lost," said one of 



MISSIONARY LIFE AMONG THE ABNAKIS. 11 

them ; " let us sell our lives dearly." They were preparing 
therefore to rush forth upon the company, when the English, per- 
ceiving their resolution, and knowing besides of what the savage 
is capable in the first burst of his fury, endeavored to appease 
them, assuring them that they had no evil design, and that they 
only came to invite some of them to return with them to Boston 
to confer with the Governor, on the means of cherishing the peace 
and good intelligence which ought to subsist between the two na- 
tions. The Indians, a little too credulous, deputed four of their 
countrymen who should return with them to Boston, but when 
they arrived there, the conference with which they were amused 
ended in retaining them as prisoners. 

You will be surprised, without doubt, that so small a handful 
of Indians should have pretended to make head against so nu- 
merous a company as that of the English. But our Indians have 
performed an infinite number of actions which are much more 
hardy. I will relate to you one only, from which you may judge 
of the others. 

During the late wars, a party of thirty Indians were returning 
from a hostile expedition against the English. As the Indians, 
and particularly the Abnakis, are entirely unacquainted with 
guarding against surprises, they slept at their first stopping-place, 
without even thinking to post a sentinel during the night. A 
party of six hundred English, commanded by a colonel, pursued 
them even to their cahanage* and finding them buried in sleep, 
he surrounded them with his company, promising himself that not 
one of them should escape him. One of the Indians having 
awakened, and perceiving the English troops, immediately gave 
notice to his countrymen by crying out according to their custom, 
" We are lost ; let us sell our lives dearly !" Their resolution 

* This is the name by which the Indians call their place of encampment. 
When they go to war or to the chase, their first care on arriving at the 
place where they intend to repose, is to erect their cabins. 



12 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

was very soon taken. Forming themselves instantly into six 
parties of five men each, with the hatchet in one hand and the 
knife in the other, they threw themselves on the English with so 
much impetuosity and fury, that after having killed more than 
sixty men, in which numher was their colonel, they put the rest 
to flight. 

The Abnakis were no sooner informed of the manner in which 
their countrymen were treated at Boston, than they complained 
bitterly, that in the midst of a peace which was existing, they 
should in this way have violated the rights of nations. The 
English answered, that they only retained the prisoners as hos- 
tages for an injury which had been done in killing some cattle 
belonging to them ; and that as soon as they repaired this dam- 
age, which amounted to two hundred pounds of beaver-skins, the 
prisoners should be released. Although the Abnakis were not 
convinced of the existence of this pretended damage, yet they did 
not hesitate to pay the two hundred pounds of beaver, not wish- 
ing at all, for so small an affair, that any should be able to re- 
proach them with having abandoned their brethren. Yet, not- 
. withstanding the payment of this contested debt, they refused to 
set the prisoners at liberty. 

The Grovernor of Boston, fearing lest this refusal would drive 
the Indians to the perpetration of some bold stroke, proposed to 
hold a conference for the purpose of treating this affair in a spirit 
of conciliation. They even agreed on the day and the place where 
it should be held. The Indians repaired thither with Father Ras- 
les, their missionary. Father de la Chasse, Superior General of 
the Missions, who made them at this time a visit, went also ; but 
Monsieur the Governor did not appear. The Indians drew un- 
favorable inferences from his absence, and took measures to ac- 
. quaint him with their sentiments by means of a letter, written in 
their own tongue, in English, and in Latin, which Father de la 
Chasse, who was acquainted with these three languages, was 



MISSIONARY LIFE AMONG THE ABNAKIS. 13 



charged to prepare. It of course appeared useless to employ any 
other language but the English, yet the Father was well satisfied 
that it should be so, because on the one hand, the Indians would 
know for themselves that the letter contained nothing but what 
they had dictated, and on the other hand, the English would have 
no reason to doubt, but that the translation into their own lan- 
guage was a faithful one. The amount of the letter was this : 
1st. That the Indians could not comprehend, why they still re- 
tained their countrymen in irons, after the promise which had 
been given to restore them to liberty as soon as the two hundred 
pounds of beaver were paid. 2d. That they were no less surpris- 
ed to see that they had seized on their country without permis- 
sion. 3d. That the English should leave it as soon as possible, 
and also release the prisoners ; that they would await their an- 
swer for two months, and if after that time they should refuse to 
give them any satisfaction, they would then know how to obtain 
justice for themselves. 

It was in the month of July, of the year 1721, that this letter 
was carried to Boston by some English who had assisted at the 
Conference. As the two months passed without bringing any 
answer from Boston, and besides, the English ceased to sell to 
the Abnakis powder, and lead, and provisions, as they had done 
before this dispute, our Indians were disposed to make reprisals. 
It required all the influence which the Marquis de Vaudreuil 
possessed over their minds, to induce them as yet for some time 
to suspend the violence they meditated. 

But their patience was pushed to an extreme by two acts of 
hostility which the English perpetrated in the end of December, 
1721, and in the beginning of the year 1722. The first was their 
carrying ofi" M. de Saint-Casteins. This officer was a Lieutenant 
in our army. His mother was an Abnakis Indian, and he had al- 
ways lived among the Indians, whose esteem and confidence he 
had won to such a degree, that they had chosen him their Com- 



14 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

mander Greneral. In this capacity he could not excuse himself 
from assisting at the conference of which I have spoken, where he 
interested himself in promoting the interests of the Abnakis, his 
countrymen. The English charged this on him as a crime, and 
despatched a small vessel to the place of his residence. The cap- 
tain took care to conceal his people, with the exception of two or 
three men whom he left on the deck. Having invited M. de Saint- 
Casteins, with whom he was acquainted, to come on board and 
take some refreshments, the latter having no reason to distrust 
him accepted it and repaired thither without any attendants. 
But scarcely had he arrived, when they set sail and carried him 
off to Boston. There, they placed him on the prisoner's stand, 
and questioned him as a criminal. They demanded of him among 
other things, why, and in what capacity he had assisted at the 
conference which was held with the Indians ; what was the mean- 
ing of the uniform which he wore ; and whether he had not been 
sent to that assembly by the Governor of Canada. M. de Saint- 
Casteins answered, that he was an Abnakis on his mother's side ; 
that his whole life had been spent among the Indians ; that his 
countrymen having elected him chief of their nation, he was 
obliged to attend their councils, to sustain their interests there ; 
that it was in this capacity only that he had assisted at the last 
conference ; that for the rest, the dress which he wore was not at 
all a uniform, as they had imagined ; that it was in truth appro- 
priate and sufficiently ornamented, but not above his rank, inde- 
pendently even of the honor which he had to be an officer in our 
army. 

Monsieur, our Governor, having been apprised of the detention 
of M. de Saint-Casteins, wrote immediately to the Governor of 
Boston to make his complaints to him. He did not receive any 
answer to his letter, but as the time drew near when the English 
Governor expected to receive a second one, he set the prisoner 



MISSIONARY LIFE AMONG THE ABNAKIS. 15 

at liberty, after having held him in confinement during five 
months. 

An enterprise of the English against myself, was the second 
act of hostility which completed the work of irritating to excess 
the x\buakis nation. A missionary can hardly fail of being an 
object of hatred to these gentlemen. The love of religion, 
which he endeavors to engraven in the hearts of the Indians, 
is the most efficient means of retaining these neophytes in an 
alliance, and removing them from that of the English. They 
therefore regarded me as an invincible obstacle in the way of the 
design they had formed of extending themselves over the lands 
of the Abnakis, and thus gradually becoming masters of the re- 
gion which lies between New England and Acadia. They have 
often endeavored to carry me off from my flock, and more than 
once a price has been set upon my head. It was towards the 
end of January in the year 1722, that they made a new attempt, 
which, however, had no other result than to make manifest the 
ill will they bore me. 

I had remained alone in the village, with only a small num 
ber of old men and infirm persons, while the rest of the Indians 
were at the hunting-grounds. The opportunity seemed to them 
a favorable one to surprise me, and with this view they sent out 
a detachment of two hundred men.* Two young Abnakis who 
were engaged in the chase along the sea-shore, learned that the 
English had entered the river, and they immediately turned 
their steps in that direction to observe their progress. Having 
perceived them at ten leagues distance from the village, they out- 
stripped them in traversing the country to give me warning, and 
to cause the old men, the females, and infants to retire in hasta 
I had barely time to swallow the consecrated wafers, to crowd 
the sacred vessels into a little chest, and to save myself in the 
woods. The English arrived in the evening at the village, and 
[* This was Colonel Westbrook's expedition.] 



16 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

not having found me, came the following morning to search for 
me, even in the very place to which we had retreated. They were 
scarcely a gun-shot distant when we perceived them, and all I 
could do was to hide myself with precipitation in the depths of 
the forest. But as I had not time to take my snow-shoes, and, 
besides, had considerable weakness remaining from a fall which 
took place some years before, when my thigh and leg were broken, 
it was not possible for me to fly very far. The only resource 
which remained to me was to conceal myself behind a tree. They 
began immediately to examine the different paths worn by the 
Indians, when they went to collect wood, and they penetrated 
even to within eight paces of the tree which concealed me. From 
this spot it would seem as if they must inevitably discover me, 
for the trees were stripped of their leaves ; but as if they had 
been restrained by an invisible hand, they immediately retraced 
their steps, and repaired again to the village. 

It is thus that, through the particular protection of God, I 
escaped from their hands. They pillaged my Church and humble 
dwelling,* and thus almost reduced me to a death by famine in the 

[=* Among other papers seized at this time was his Dictionary of the 
Abnaki Language^ on which he had been fbr years employed. " The original 
manuscript, carefully preserved in strong binding, is now in the library of 
Harvard College. It is a quarto volume in Rale's own handwriting. On 
the first leaf is the following note, written by him in 1691. 'II y a un an 
que je suis parmi les sauvages ; je commence a mettre en ordre, en forme do 

dictionnaire, les mots que j'apprens.' The work is divided into two 

parts. The first is a dictionary of the Abnaki dialect, in French and In- 
dian, the French word or phrase being given first, and then the correspond- 
ing Indian expression, generally, though not uniformly, in distinct columns. 
Two hundred and five leaves, a comparatively small part of which have 
writing on both sides, and the remainder on one side only, make up this 
part. The second part has twenty five leaves, both sides of which are 
generally filled with writing. It is called ParticuIcSj on account of the 
partidesj the Indian words being placed first, and the explanations given in 



MISSIONARY LIFE AMONG THE ABNAKIS. 17 

midst of the woods. It is true, that as soon as they learned my 
adventure in Quebec, they immediately sent me provisions ; but 
these could not arrive until very late, and during all that time I 
was obliged to live destitute of all succor and in extreme need. 

These repeated insults induced the Indians to conclude, that 
they had no further answer to expect, and that it was time to 
repulse violence, and to cause open force to take the place of 
pacific negociations. On their return from the hunting-grounds, 
and after having planted their fields, they formed the resolution 
to destroy the habitations which the English had lately built, and 
to remove far from them these unquiet and troublesome guests, 
who were encroaching by degrees upon their lands, and who medi- 
tated bringing them entirely into subjection. They sent messen- 
gers to the difi"erent villages to interest them in their cause, 
and to engage their aid in the necessity they were under of 
making a right defence The deputation met with success. They 
chanted the war-song among the Hurons of Lorette, and in all 
the villages of the Abnakis nation, Nanrantsouak was the place 

French or Latin. One can scarcely look at this important manuscript, 
with its dingy and venerable leaves, without associations of deep interest 
with those labors, and that life in the wilderness, of which it is now the 

only memorial The dictionary was printed in 1833, in the first volume 

of the new series of the Memoirs of the American Academy, under the care 
and direction of Mr. John Pickering, who furnished it with an introduction 
and notes, which enhance its value." Francis' Life of Rale, p. 294. 

" The ' strong-box' which contained his papers and inkstand, is also pre- 
served. It is of a curious and complicated construction. In the lower part 
is a secret drawer or compartment, to which one unacquainted with the 
manner of opening it can scarcely find access without breaking the box. 
On the inside of the lid are pasted two engravings, in a rude style, repre- 
senting the scourging of Jesus and the crowning with thorns. The box 
after long continuing in the possession of Col. Westbrook's family, has been 
deposited by one of his descendants in the collection of the Mass. Hist. So- 
ciety." Francis^ Life^ p. 299.] 



18 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 



appointed for the assembling of the warriors, to settle their plans 
by mutual concert. 

In the meanwhile the Nanrantsouakians descended the river, 
and having arrived at its mouth, they seized three or four little 
vessels belonging to the English. After again ascending the same 
river, they pillaged and burnt the new dwellings which the 
English had erected there. They, however, abstained from all 
violence towards the inhabitants, even permitting them to retire 
to their own people, with the exception of five whom they retained 
as hostages until their countrymen had been given up, who were 
now detained in the prisons at Boston. This moderation of the 
Indians, however, had not the desired effect. On the contrary, 
a party of the English having found sixteen Abnakis asleep on an 
island, made a general discharge on them, by which five were 
killed and three wounded. 

This is a new signal of the war which is about to break out 
between the English and the Indians. The latter do not in any 
way expect aid from the French, on account of the peace which 
exists between the two nations ; but they have a resource in all 
the other Indian nations, who will not fail to enter into their 
quarrel, and to take up their defence. 

My neophytes, touched by the peril to which I found myself 
exposed in their village, often urged me to retire for a time to 
Quebec. But what will become of the flock, if it be deprived of 
its shepherd ? They have done what they could to represent to 
me, that in case I should fall into the hands of our enemies, the 
least which could possibly happen to me would be to languish for 
the rest of my days in a hard prison. But I close their lips with 
the words of the Apostle, which divine goodness has deeply 
engraven on my heart. " Do not at all distress yourselves," I 
say to them, " as to what concerns me. I do not in the least fear 
the threats of those who hate me without a cause, ' and I count 
not my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course. 



MISSIONARY LIFE AMONG THE ABNAKIS. 19 



and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus.' " 
Pray for me, my dear nephew, that He will strengthen in me 
those sentiments which can have their origin only from His 
mercy, to the end that I may have power to live and die without 
ceasing to labor for the salvation of these neglected souls, who 
are the price of His blood, and whom he condescended to commit 
to my care. 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 



1689—1723. 



LETTER II 



FROM FATHER SEBASTIEN RASLES, MISSIONARY OF THE SOCIETY 
OF JESUS IN NEW FRANCE, TO BIONSIEUR HIS BROTHER. 



At Nanrantsouak, this 12tli of October, 1723. 

MONSIEUR, MY VERY DEAR BROTHER, 

The Peace of our Lord he with you : 

I CANNOT longer resist the kind entreaties which you make in 
your letters, that I would inform you a little in detail with regard 
to my occupations, and the character of the Indian tribes among 
which Providence has for so many years cast my lot. I do so 
the more willingly, because I know that in conforming to desires 
so urgent on your part, I shall gratify your affection even more 
than your curiosity. 

It was on the 23d of July in the year 1689, that I embarked 
at Rochelle, and after a pleasant voyage of three months, arrived 
at Quebec on the 13th of October in the same year. I at once 
applied myself to learn the language of our Indians. Their lan- 
guage is indeed very difficult, for it is not sufficient to study its 
terms and their signification, or to make a collection of words and 
phrases ; it is necessary also to know the idiomatic turns and 
arrangements which the Indians give them, which it is scarcely 
possible to acquire except by intercourse and frequent association 
with these people. 
* I then went to live in a village of the Abnakis nation, situated 
in a forest which is but three leagues from Quebec. This village 
was inhabited by two hundred Indians, almost all of whom were 



24 - JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

Christians. Their cabins were arranged nearly like the houses 
in a town, while around them was an enclosure of stakes high 
and thick, forming a kind of wall, which they had constructed to 
protect them from the incursions of their enemies. 

Their cabins are easily built. They plant poles in the earth, 
which they join at the top, and then cover them with large pieces 
of bark. The fire they make in the middle of the cabin, and all 
around it they place mats formed of reeds, on which they sit 
during the day, and sleep at night. 

The dress of the men consists of a loose robe of skin, or else 
of a piece of red or blue cloth. That of the women is one cover- 
ing, which hangs from the neck to the middle of the leg, and 
which they arrange with a great deal of propriety. They place 
another covering on the head, which descends even to their feet, 
and serves them for a cloak. Their stockings extend only from 
the knee to the ankle. Moccasins made of the skin of deer and 
lined in the inside with hair or wool, serve them in place of shoes. 
This moccasin is absolutely necessary to enable them to wear 
their snow-shoes, by means of which they walk with ease on the 
snow. These snow-shoes, made in the shape of a lozenge, are 
more than two feet in length, and one and a half in breadth. I 
did not think that I should ever be able to walk with such ma- 
chines ; but when I made the attempt, I found myself imme- 
diately so expert, that the Indians could not believe it was the 
first time I had used them. 

The invention of these snow-shoes is of great use to the Indi- 
ans, not only to enable them to run on the snow, with which the 
earth is covered the greater part of the year, but also to go in 
pursuit of game, and particularly of the elks. These animals, 
which are larger than the largest bullocks of France, can walk 
with difficulty through the snow. It is thus easy for the Indians 
to come up with them, and they often kill them with only a knife 
attached to the end of a stick. They feed on their flesh, and 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 25 

after having well-dressed their skins, in which they are very skil- 
ful, they use them as articles of traffic with the French and 
English. From them they receive in exchange, their cloth 
dresses and blankets, their kettles, their guns, their hatchets and 
knives. 

To give you an idea of an Indian, imagine to yourself a large 
man, powerful, active, of a swarthy complexion, without beard, 
with black hair, and his teeth whiter than ivory. If you wish to 
see him in all his finery, you will find that he has no other orna- 
ments but beads ; these are a kind of shell or stone, which they 
form into the shape of little grains, some white and others black, 
which they string together in such a way as to represent difi"erent 
showy figures with great exactness. It is with these beads that 
our Indians bind up and plat their hair on their ears and behind; 
they make of them pendents for the ears, collars, garters, large 
sashes of five or six inches in breadth, and on these kinds of or- 
naments they pride themselves much more than a European 
would on all his gold and jewelry. 

The occupation of the men is in the chase or in war ; that of 
the women is to remain in the village, and to manufacture there 
with bark baskets, sacks, boxes, dishes, platters, &c. They sew 
the bark with fibres of roots, and in this way make various arti- 
cles for household use, very admirably constructed. Their canoes 
are made in like manner of bark alone, but the largest can scarcely 
contain more than six or seven persons. 

It is with these canoes made of bark, which is scarcely thicker 
than a crown piece, that they cross the arms of the sea, and navi- 
gate the most dangerous rivers and lakes four or five hundred 
leagues around. I have thus made many voyages without having 
run any risk. On one single occasion only, it happened that in 
crossing the river St. Lawrence, I suddenly found myself sur- 
rounded by heaps of ice of enormous magnitude, among which 
the canoe was wedged. The two Indians who conducted me at 

3 



26 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

once cried out, " "We are lost ; it is all over ; we must perish." 
Nevertheless, making an effort, they leaped on one of the cakes 
of floating ice. I followed their example, and after having drawn 
up the canoe, we carried it to the extremity of this piece of ice. 
There it was necessary again to embark in the canoe for the pur- 
pose of gaining another cake of ice ; and thus, by leaping from 
cake to cake, we at length reached the bank of the river, without 
any other inconvenience than that of being very wet and be- 
numbed with the cold. 

Nothing can equal the tenderness which the Indians exhibit 
towards their children. As soon as they are born, they place 
them on a little piece of board, covered with cloth and a small 
bear-skin, in which they wrap them, and this is their cradle. 
Their mothers carry them on their backs, in a manner convenient 
both for the infants and themselves. 

No sooner have the children begun to walk, than they exercise 
them in using the bow, and in this they become so skilful that at 
ten or twelve years of age they scarcely ever fail to kill the bird 
at which they aim. I was very much surprised, and should have 
had difficulty in believing it, if I had not myself been a witness 
of their skill. 

That which was most revolting to me when I commenced living 
with the Indians was, the necessity of taking my meals with them. 
Nothing could be more disgusting. After having filled their 
kettle with victuals, they place it on to boil for about three quar- 
ters of an hour, after which they take it off the fire, and serve it 
up on dishes of bark, dividing it among all those who are in the 
cabin. Each one then eats his food as he would a piece of bread. 
This sight did not give me much appetite, and they soon per- 
ceived my repugnance. " Why do you not eat ?" they asked me. 
I answered, that I was not accustomed to eat my food thus, with- 
out adding to it a little piece of bread. " It is necessary for you 
to overcome this," said they. " Is it so difficult for a Father who 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 27 

understands Prayer* perfectly ? We, on our part, have difficul- 
ties to get over, in order to have faith in what we cannot see." 
There was then no room for hesitation, for it was necessary to 
conform to their manners and customs, to the end that I might 
gain their confidence and win them to Jesus Christ. 

Their meals are not regular, as is the European custom, for 
they live from hand to mouth. As long as they have anything 
with which to make a good entertainment, they avail themselves 
of it, without giving themselves any concern as to how they shall 
live on the following days. 

They are passionately fond of tobacco. Men, women, and 
children smoke almost incessantly. The gift of a small piece of 
tobacco confers more pleasure upon them than the present of their 
weight in gold. 

In the commencement of June, and when the snow is almost 
all melted, they plant the skamgnar^ which is the name by v/hich 
they call the Turkish or Indian corn. Their way of planting it 
is, to make with their fingers, or with a small stick, difi'erent holes 
in the earth, and to throw in each eight or nine grains, which 
they cover with the same earth that they have taken out to make 
the hole. Their harvest takes place in the end of August. 

It is among these people, who are esteemed to be less barbar- 
ous than all the rest of the Indians, that I passed my novitiate 
as a missionary. My first occupation was to learn their language, 
which is very difficult to acquire, particularly when one has no 
other instructors than the Indians themselves. They have many 
guttural sounds which are only uttered with the throat, without 
making any movement with the lips. Ow, for example, is of this 
number, and therefore in writing it, we mark it by the character a, 
to distinguish it from other sounds. I passed one part of the 

[*It will be remembered that by the Prnye), tliey mean Christianity or 
the faith generally. This explanation will be found some pages further on 
in this same letter.] 



2b JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

day in their cabins hearing them talk ; and it was necessary for 
me to pay the most particular attention, to combine what they 
said, and conjecture its signification. Sometimes I guessed 
rightly, but most often I failed, because, not being at all accus- 
tomed to the management of their guttural sounds, I only repeat- 
ed a part of the word, and thus furnished them with occasion for 
laughter. 

At last, after five months of constant application, I had ad- 
vanced so far as to understand their terms, but this was not suf- 
ficient to enable me to express myself according to their taste ; 
much, therefore, remained for me to do, to acquire the turn and 
genius of the language, which is entirely difi"erent from the turn 
and genius of our languages in Europe. To shorten the time, 
and place myself more in a state to exercise my functions, I made 
choice of some Indians who had the most mind, and who spoke 
best. I told them in my imperfect way some articles of the 
Catechism, and they rendered them for me into all the niceties 
of their language. I immediately committed them to paper, and 
by this means in a very short time I made for myself a diction- 
ary, and a catechism which contained the principles and myste- 
ries of our religion. 

It cannot be denied that the language of the Indians has its 
real beauties, and a certain indescribable energy in the turn and 
manner of expression. I will give you an example of this. If I 
should ask you^ Why God has created you 1 You would answer 
me, That I might know him, love him, and serve him, and by 
this means procure eternal glory. But should I put the same 
question to an Indian, he would answer in this way, according to 
their manner of expression : Thus thought the Great Spirit con- 
cerning us ; Let them know me, let them honor me, let them love 
me, and obey me ; that then I may cause them to enter into my 
wonderful felicity. If I wish to say in their style, that you will 
find difficulty in learning the Indian language, see how it will be 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 29 

necessary for me to express myself: I think of my dear brother, 
that he will find difficulty in learning the Indian language. 

The Huron is the chief language of these Indians, and when 
one has acquired it, in less than three months he will be able to 
understand that of the five Iroquois nations. It is the most dig- 
nified, and, at the same time, the most difficult of all the Indian 
languages. This difficulty arises not only from their guttural 
letters, but much more from the diff"erence of accent ; for often 
two words composed of the same letters have entirely difi"erent 
significations. Father Chaumont, who has lived fifty years 
among the Hurons, has composed a grammar which is very use- 
ful to those who have newly arrived in this mission. Neverthe- 
less, a missionary is fortunate, if even with this aid, he is able, 
after ten years of constant toil, to express himself elegantly in 
their language. 

Each Indian nation has its own particular language. Thus, 
the Abnakis, the Hurons, the Iroquois, the Algonkins, the Illi- 
nois, the Miamis, &c., have each their language. There are no 
books at all with which to learn these languages, and if there 
were, they would be almost useless ; practice is the only master 
which can instruct us. As I have labored in four different mis- 
sions of the Indians ; that is to say, among the Abnakis, the Al- 
gonkins, the Hurons, and the Illinois, and have been obliged to 
acquire their different languages, I will give you a specimen, that 
you may know how little resemblance there is between them. I 
have chosen the strophe of a hymn of the Holy Sacrament, which 
they ordinarily chant during the mass, at the elevation of the 
Host, and which begins with these words : '• salutaris Hostia." 
Here follows the translation in verse of this strophe in the four 
languages of these different nations. 

Ill the Abnakis Langitage. 

Kigliist «i-nuanurj.inns 
Spem kik papili go ii damek 



30 JESUITS IlSi AMERICA. 



Nemeani «i ksidan gliabenk 
Talia sail grihine. 

In the Algonkin Language. 
Kwerais Jesus teg«senain 
Nera aeul ka stisian 
Ka rio vlliglie miang 
Vas mama vik umong. 

In the Huron Language. 
JestfS fcto etti x'icliie 
8to etti skuaaliclii-axe 
J chierclie axera-»ensta 
D'aotierti xeata-^ien. 

In the Illinois Language. 
Pekiziane manet se 
Piaro nile hi nanghi 
Keninama »i « kanglia 
Mero sinang «siang hi. 

The meaning of these lines is this : " saving Sacrificej who 
art continually offered, and who givest life, thou by whom we 
enter Heaven, we are constantly assailed, strengthen us !" 

After having lived nearly two years among the Ahnakis, I was 
recalled by my superiors. They destined me to the mission 
among the Illinois, who had lost their missionary. I repaired, 
therefore, to Quebec, where, after having spent three months in 
studying the Algonkin language, I embarked on the 13th of Au- 
gust in a canoe, to go to the Illinois, whose country is more than 
eight hundred leagues distance from Quebec. You can easily 
imagine, that so long a voyage in these barbarous regions, was 
not performed without running great risks and suffering many- 
inconveniences. I had to traverse lakes of a vast elxtent, and 
where storms are as frequent as on the ocean. It is true that 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 31 

we had the advantage of landing every evening, but he was fortu- 
nate who could find some flat rock on which to pass the night. 
When it rained, our only way of protection against it was, by 
placing ourselves under the canoe turned bottom upwards. 

The greatest dangers, however, are to be encountered on the 
rivers, particularly in places where they run with great rapidity. 
There the canoe flies like an arrow, and if it comes in contact 
with any of the rocks which are found there in great numbers, it 
is at once dashed into a thousand pieces. This misfortune hap- 
pened to some of those who accompanied us in other canoes, and 
it was by a singular protection of Divine Goodness, that I escaped 
the same fate, for my canoe many times touched the rocks, but 
without receiving the least injury. 

"We risk too the endurance of all that is most distressing in 
hunger, for the length and difficulty of this kind of voyage does 
not permit us to carry anything but a sack of Indian corn. One 
would naturally suppose, that the chase might furnish us on the 
route with something we could live on, but if the game fails we 
find ourselves exposed to many days of fasting. Then, the only 
resource is to search for a kind of leaves which the Indians call 
Kengiicssaiiach^ and the French Tripe de roche. One would take 
them for chervil* which they much resemble in shape, if they 
were not too large. They are prepared either by boiling or roast- 
ing, and those of which I have eaten are by no means unpala- 
table. 

I was not obliged to suff"er much from hunger until I reached 
the Lake of the Hurons ; but this was by no means the case with 
the companions of my voyage, for the storms having scattered 

[* The tripe de roche^ or rock-tripe, is one of the Lichens known in bo- 
tanyas the XJmbilicaria Muhlenbergii, and is much used for food by the North- 
ern Indians. The chervil is the Scandix cerefolium of botanists, possessing a 
slightly aromatic taste, and much used in the South of Europe in soups and 
salads. Fronds' Life of Rale, p. 175] 



32 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

their canoes, they were not ahle to join me. T arrived therefore 
first at Missilimakinak, from whence I sent them some provisions, 
without which they would have starved to death. They had 
passed seven days without any other nourishment than what they 
could get from a crow which they had killed more by accident 
than skill, for they had not strength to hold themselves up. 

The season was too far advanced to continue my route to the 
Illinois, from whence I was distant as yet about four hundred 
leagues. It was therefore necessary for me to remain at Missili- 
makinak, where there were two of our missionaries, one of whom 
was stationed among the Hurons, and the other among the Outa- 
ouacks. These last are very superstitious, and very much attach- 
ed to the juggleries of their medicine-men. They claim an origin 
equally senseless and ridiculous, pretending that they are derived 
from three families, and that each family was composed of five 
hundred persons. 

Some are from the family of 3Iichabou, that is to say, of the 
Great Hare. They pretend that the Great Hare was a man of 
prodigious size ; that he could spread nets in the water at eigh- 
teen fathoms deep, while the water scarcely came to his arm-pits ; 
that one day during the deluge, he sent out the beaver to discov- 
er land, but this animal not having returned, he caused the otter 
to go out, who brought back a little earth covered with foam ; 
that he repaired to the part of the lake where he found this land, 
which formed a little island ; he walked in the water all around 
it, and this island became extraordinarily large. It is for this 
reason that they attribute to him the creation of land. They add, 
that after having accomplished this work, he flew up to Heaven, 
which is his ordinary residence, but after having left the earth, 
he ordered that when his descendants die, they shall burn their 
bodies, and then fling their ashes into the air, to the end that 
they may be able to raise themselves more easily towards Hea- 
ven ; that if they should fail to do so, the snow would not cease 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 33 

to cover the earth, their lakes and rivers would remain frozen, 
and not being able to catch fish, which is their ordinary food, they 
would all die in the spring. 

It happened indeed a few years since, that the winter having 
continued much longer than usual, there was one general conster- 
nation among the Indians of the family of the Great Hare. They 
had recourse to their accustomed juggleries, and assembled many 
times to consult on the means of dissipating this hostile snow, 
which seemed obstinately determined to remain on the earth, 
when an old woman approached them. " My children," said she, 
" you have no wisdom. You know the orders which were left by 
the Great Hare, that we should burn dead bodies, and cast their 
ashes to the wind, that they might return more easily to Heaven 
their country ; but you have neglected these orders, in leaving at 
some days journey from hence, a dead man without burning him, 
as if he did not belong to the family of the Great Hare. Repair 
your fault forthwith, and take measures to burn him, if you wish 
the snow to melt." " You are right, our mother," they answered ; 
"you have more wisdom than we, and the counsel which you give 
restores us to life." They immediately deputed twenty-five men 
to go and burn that body. About a fortnight was spent in the 
journey, during which time the thaw came, and the snow melted. 
The old woman who had given this advice was overwhelmed with 
praises and presents, and this occurrence, which was so entirely 
natural, had a great influence in strengthening them in their fol- 
ly and superstitious credulity. 

The second family of the Outaouaks claims to be derived from 
Namepich, that is to say, the Carp. Their tradition is, that a 
carp having deposited its eggs on the borders of a river, and the 
sun having darted its rays upon them, they were formed into a 
woman, from whom they are descended : in this way they say 
they are of the family of the Carp. 

The third family of the Outaouaks attributes its origin to the 

3* 



34 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

paw of a Machova, that is to say, of a Bear, and they claim that 
they are of the family of the Bear, but without explaining in 
what manner they are derived. "When they kill any of these 
animals, they make a feast for him with his own flesh — they speak 
to him and harangue him. " Do not have any ill will against 
us," they say to him, " because we have killed you. You have 
sense — you see that our children are suffering with hunger — they 
love you — they wish to make you enter into their bodies. And 
is it not a glorious thing for you to be eaten by the children of 
the Chief?" 

The family of the Great Hare is the only one which burns the 
bodies of the dead ; the other two families inter them. When 
any chief dies, they prepare a vast coffin, in which after having 
placed the body clothed in its most beautiful garments, they shut 
up with it his blanket, his gun, his supply of powder and lead, 
his bow and arrows, his kettle, his platter with some provisions, 
his tomahawk and pipe, his bos of vermillion, his mirror, his col- 
lars of porcelain, and all the presents which were made him at his 
death according to their usual custom. They imagine that with 
this outfit he will make his journey to the other world more 
happily, and will meet with a more favorable reception from the 
great chiefs of the nation, who will conduct him to a place of 
enjoyment. 

While all things are preparing in the coffin, the relatives of 
the deceased assist at the ceremony, mourning after their 
fashion, that is, chanting in a sorrowful tone, and beating time 
with a stick to which they have attached many little rattles. 

The particular in vv'hich the superstition of these people ap- 
pears the most extravagant, is in the worship which they bestow 
upon what they call their Manitou. As they are scarcely ac- 
quainted with anything but the animals in whose company they 
live in the forests, they imagine that in these animals, or rather 
in their skins, or in the plumage of the birds, resides a kind of 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 35 

Spirit which governs all things, and which is master of life and 
death. There are, according to them, Manitous common to the 
whole nation, and also particular ones for each individual. Ous- 
saJcita^ they say, is the grand Manitou of all the animals which 
exist on the earth, and of the birds which fly in the air. It is 
he who governs them. When therefore they wish to go to the 
chase, they offer him tobacco, powder, lead, and skins well dressed, 
which they attach to the end of a pole and elevate in the air. 
" Oussakita^^^ say they, " we give you something to smoke, and 
we offer you something wherewith to kill the game. Conde- 
scend to accept our presents, and do not permit them to escape 
our arrows. Permit us to kill them in great numbers, and 
very fat, so that our children may want neither clothing or 
nourishment." 

They call Michibichi the Manitou of waters and fish, and offer 
him a sacrifice nearly similar when they wish to engage in fish- 
ing, or to undertake a voyage. It consists in casting into the 
water tobacco, provisions, kettles, and praying to him that the 
waters of the river may flow smoothly, that the rocks may not 
break their canoes, and that he will grant them an abundant sup- 
ply of fish. 

Besides these common Manitous^ each one has his own particu- 
lar one, which is a bear, or a beaver, or a bustard, or any animal 
of the kind. They carry the skin of this animal to war, or to 
the chase, and in their voyages, persuading themselves that it 
will preserve them from all danger, and ensure them success in 
their enterprises. 

When an Indian wishes to select a Manitou for himself, the 
first animal which presents itself to his imagination during sleep, 
is usually that on which his choice falls. He therefore kills 
an animal of that kind, and places its skin, or its plumage if it 
be a bird, in an honorable place in his cabin. He then pre- 
pares a feast in its honor, during which he makes it a speech 



36 JESUITS .IN AMERICA. 

in the most respectful terms, after wliich it is recognized as his 
Manitou. 

As soon as the Spring came, I departed from Missilimakinak to 
go to the residence of the Illinois. I found in my route many 
Indian nations, among whom were the Maskoutings, the Jakis, 
the O?)iekou,es, the Iripegouaiis, the Outaga?)iis, &c. Each of 
these nations has its own peculiar language, but in other re- 
spects they do not dilBFer at all from the Outaouacks. A mission- 
ary who resides at the bay of the Puants, makes from time to 
time excursions among these Indians, to instruct them in the 
truths of religion. 

After forty days' journey, I entered the river of the Illinois, 
and having followed its course for fifty leagues, I arrived at their 
first village, which contained three hundred cabins, all of four or 
five fires. One fire is always for two families. They have eleven 
villages in their nation. On the day after my arrival I was in- 
vited by the principal chief to a great feast, which he gave to the 
most considerable persons in the nation. To prepare for it he 
had caused them to kill a large number of dogs ; an entertain- 
ment of this kind passes among the Indians for a most magnifi- 
cent festival, and is therefore called the Feast of the Chiefs. 
The ceremonies observed are the same among all these nations. 
It is generally in feasts of this kind that the Indians delib- 
erate on all their most important affairs, as for example, when 
the question in agitation is, whether they shall undertake a 
war against their neighbors, or whether they shall terminate it 
by propositions of peace. 

When all the guests have arrived, they range themselves 
around the cabin, sitting either on the bare ground or on the 
mats, then the chief rises and begins his harangue. I confess 
to you that I have admired his flow of words, the justice and force 
of the reasons which he advanced, the eloquent turn which he 
gave them, the choice and delicacy of the expressions with which 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 37 

he adorned his discourse. I believe that if I could commit to 
writing what this Indian said to us extemporaneously and with- 
out preparation, you would be convinced without difficulty, that 
the most able Europeans, after much meditation and study, could 
scarcely compose a discourse more solid and better turned. 

The harangue finished, two Indians, who filled the office of 
carvers, distributed the plates to all the assembly, and each plate 
was appropriated to two guests. They eat, conversing together 
on indifferent subjects, and when the repast was finished they re- 
tired, carrying with them, according to their custom, what re- 
mained on their plates. 

The Illinois never give those feasts which are customary among 
many other savage nations, where one is obliged to eat all that 
is served to him, even if he should die. When therefore any one 
finds himself unable to fulfil this ridiculous rule, he addresses 
some other guest whom he knows to have a better appetite : " My 
brother," he says to him, " have pity on me, I shall die if you 
do not save my life. Eat what remains to me, and I will make 
you a present of something." This is the only way of getting 
out of the dilemma.* 

The Illinois only cover themselves about the waist, and leave 
the rest of the body entirely naked. Different compartments filled 
with all kinds of figures which they engrave on their bodies in a 
way which is ineffaceable, supply to them the place of garments. 
It is only in the visits which they make, or when they assist at 
church, that they wrap themselves in a covering, which during 
the summer is composed of a skin dressed, and during the winter 
of a skin with the hair on, the better to retain the heat. They 
ornament their heads with feathers of different colors, of which 
they make garlands and crowns, which they arrange with great 

[* This custom is in force to this day among some of our Western Indians. 
See an amusing account of such a feast among the Pawnees, related by the 
Hon. C. A. Murray, in his " Travels in North America," v. i. pp. 238-^242.] 



38 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

taste. They take care always to paint their faces with various 
colors, but particularly with vermilion. They also use collars 
and pendants for the ears of small stones which they cut into 
the shape of precious stones ; some of them are blue, others red, 
and others white as alabaster. To these it is always necessary 
to add a small piece of porcelain, which hangs at the end of the 
collar. The Illinois persuade themselves that these fantastic 
ornaments confer on them a degree of grace and attract re- 
spect. 

When the Illinois are not engaged in war or the chase, their 
time is passed in sports, or feasting, or dancing. They have two 
kinds of dances : the one kind is used as a token of rejoicing, 
and they invite to it the women and young girls who are most 
distinguished. The other kind is to mark their grief at the death 
of the most considerable persons in their nation. It is by these 
dances that they pretend to honor the deceased, and to dry the 
tears of his relatives. All persons indeed have a right to this 
kind of mourning at the death of their relations, provided they 
make presents for this purpose. The dances last a greater or 
less time in proportion to the price and value of the presents, 
which are immediately afterwards distributed to the dancers. 
Their custom is not to bury the dead, but they wrap them in 
skins and attach them by the head and feet to the tops of trees. 

When not engaged in games or feasts or dances, the men re- 
main quiet on their mats, and pass their time either in sleeping, 
or in making bows, arrows, calumets, and other things of the 
same kind. As to the women, they toil like slaves from morn- 
ing till night. It is their duty during the summer to cultivate 
the earth and plant the Indian corn ; and from the commence- 
ment of winter they are occupied in manufacturing mats, dress- 
ing skins, and many other works of the kind, for their first care 
is to provide every thing that is necessary for their cabin. 

Of all the nations of Canada, there are none who live in so 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 39 

great abundance of everything as the Illinois. Their rivers are 
covered with swans, bustards, ducks, and teals, One can scarcely 
travel a league without finding a prodigious multitude of turkeys, 
who keep together in flocks, often to the number of two hundred. 
They are much larger than those we seen in France. I had the 
curiosity to weigh one, which I found to be thirty-six pounds. 
They have hanging from the neck a kind of tuft of hair, half a 
foot in length. 

Bears and stags are found there in very great numbers, and 
buffaloes and roebucks are also seen in vast herds. Not a year 
passes but they kill more than a thousand roebucks and more 
than two thousand buffaloes. From four to five thousand of the 
latter can often be seen at one view, grazing on the prairies. 
They have a hump on the back and an exceedingly large head. 
The hair, except that on the head, is curled, and soft as wool. 
The flesh has naturally a salt taste, and is so light, that although 
eaten entirely raw, it does not cause the least indigestion. When 
they have killed a buffalo which appears to them too lean, they 
content themselves with taking the tongue, and going in search 
of one which is fatter. 

Arrows are the principal arms which they use in war and in 
the chase. They are pointed at the end with a stone cut and 
sharpened in the shape of a serpent's tongue ; and if no knife is 
at hand, they use them also to skin the animals they have killed. 
They are so skillful in using the bow, that they scarcely ever fail 
in their aim, and they do it with so much quickness that they can 
discharge a hiindred arrows in the time another person would use 
in loading his gun. 

They will not take the trouble to labor with the proper nets 
for fishing in the rivers, because the abundance of animals of all 
kinds which are found for their subsistence, renders them indif- 
ferent to fish. But when they take a fancy to have some, they 
embark in a canoe with their bows and arrows ; standing upright. 



40 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

for the purpose of more easily seeing the fish, as soon as tliey 
perceive it, they pierce it with an arrow. 

The only method among the Illinois of acquiring public esteem 
and veneration, is, as is the case with all other savages, to gain 
the reputation of an able hunter, or much more of a good warrior. 
It is in this particular that they principally consider merit to 
consist, and one who possesses it they look upon as being truly a 
man. They are so passionately attached to this kind of glory, 
that they do not hesitate to undertake journeys of four hundred 
leagues through the depth of the forest, either to capture a slave 
or to take the scalp of an enemy they have killed. They count as 
nothing the fatigues and long fasts they have to endure, particu- 
larly when they approach the territory of their enemies ; for then 
they do not dare to hunt, lest the animals, being only wounded, 
should escape with the arrow in their bodies, and thus warn the 
enemy to place himself in a state of defence. Their manner of 
making war, the same as among all savage nations, is to surprise 
their foes, and they therefore are accustomed to send on scouts, 
to observe their number and the direction of their march, or to 
examine if they are on their guard. According to the report 
which these bring back, they either place an ambush or make an 
irruption into their cabins, tomahawk- in hand, and do not fail to 
kill some of them before they have it in their power to think of 
defence. 

The tomahawk is made of the horn of a stag, or of wood in the 
shape of a cutlass, and terminated by a large ball. They hold 
the tomahawk in one hand and a knife in the other. • As soon as 
they have dealt a blow on the head of an enemy, they immediately 
cut it round with the knife, and take off the scalp with extraordi- 
nary rapidity. 

When a warrior returns to his own country loaded with many 
scalps, he is received with great honors ; but he covers himself 
with glory when he has made prisoners and brought them with 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 41 

him alive. As soon as he arrives, all the people of the village 
assemble and range themselves in line on the road which the 
prisoners have to pass. This reception is most cruel ; some tear 
out tbe nails, others cut oif the fingers or the ears, while others 
again deal blows with their clubs. 

After this first reception, the old men assemble to deliberate 
whether they shall grant the prisoners their lives, or put them to 
death. "When any dead person is to be revived, that is to say, if 
any one of their warriors has been killed, whom they conclude 
ought to be replaced in his cabin, they give to this cabin one of 
their prisoners, who is to take the place of the deceased; and this 
is what they call reviving the dead. 

When the prisoner is condemned to death, they immediately 
plant a large post in the earthy to which they attach him by both 
hands. They make him sing his death-song, and all the savages 
having seated themselves about the stake, they kindle at some 
feet from it a large fire, in which they heat hatchets, and gun- 
barrels, and other instruments of iron. Then they come forward, 
one after the other, and apply these things red hot to the different 
parts of his body. Some scorch him with burning fire-brands ; 
others gash his body with their knives ; and others cut off a piece 
of his flesh which has been already roasted, and eat it in his 
presence. You will see one fill his wounds with powder, and rub 
it over his whole body, and afterwards apply the fire to it. In 
fine, each one torments him according to his caprice, and this 
during four or five hours, and sometimes even for two or three 
days. The more shrill and piercing the cries which the violence 
of the torments wrings from him, so much more diverting and 
agreeable to these barbarians does the spectacle become. It was 
the Iroquois who invented this frightful kind of death, and it is 
only by way of retaliation that the Illinois, in their turn, treat 
their Iroquois prisoners with the same cruelty. 

What we understand by the word Christianity ^ is known among 



42 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 



all the savages by the name of Prayer. When, therefore, I shall 
tell you in the remainder of this letter that such an Indian tribe 
has embraced Prayer, it is the same as saying that it has become 
Christian, or that it is disposed to be so. There would have been 
less difficulty in converting the Illinois, if the Prayer had per- 
mitted polygamy among them. They acknowledged that the 
Prayer was good, and were delighted that we should teach it to 
their women and children ; but when we spoke on the subject to 
themselves, we found how difficult it was to fix their natural 
inconstancy, and induce them to resolve that they would have but 
one wife, and retain her always. 

When the hour arrives for morning and evening prayers, all 
repair to the Chapel. There are none among them, even in- 
cluding their great medicine-men, that is to say, the worst ene- 
mies of our religion, but send their children to be instructed and 
baptized. In this consists the best fruits which our mission at 
first receives among the Indians, and which is the most certain ; 
for among the great number of infants whom we baptize, not a 
year passes but many die before they are able to use their reason. 
But, even among the adults, the greater part are so fervent, and 
so attached to the Prayer, that they will sufi'er the most cruel 
death sooner than abandon it. 

It is a blessing to the Illinois that they are so far distant 
from Quebec, because it renders it impossible to transport to 
them the " fire-water," as it is carried to others. This drink is 
among the Indians the greatest obstacle to Christianity, and the 
source of an infinite number of their most shocking crimes. We 
know that they never purchase it but to plunge into the most 
furious intoxication, and the riots and sad deaths of which we 
were each day the witnesses, ought to outweigh the gain which 
can be made by the trade in a liquor so fatal. 

It was for two years that I remained among the Illinois, at the 
end of which time I was recalled to devote the rest of my days 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 43 

to the service of the Ab7iakis. It was the first mission to which 
T had been destined on my arrival in Canada, and it is that in 
which, apparently, I shall finish my life. It was necessary, 
therefore, for me to return to Quebec, for the purpose of going 
thither to rejoin my dear Indians. I have already described to 
you the length and difiiculties of this journey, and shall therefore 
only mention a most consoling adventure which happened to me 
when about-forty leagues distance from Quebec. 

I found myself in a kind of village, where there were twenty- 
five French houseis, and a Cure who had charge of the inhab- 
itants. Near the village, might be seen an Indian cabin, in 
which lived a young female of about sixteen years of age, but 
who had for many years been afflicted with a malady which had 
at length reduced her to the last extremity. M. the Cure, who 
did not understand the languag'e of these Indians, requested me 
to confess the sick person, and conducted me himself to the 
cabin. In the conversation which I had with this young girl on 
the truths of religion, I learned that she had been well instructed 
by one of our missionaries, but had never as yet received Bap- 
tism. After having passed two days in putting to her all the 
questions proper to assure myself on these points — " Do not 
refuse me," said she, " I conjure you, the grace of Baptism 
which I demand. You see how much oppression I have upon 
my breast, and that but little time remains for me to live. What 
a misfortune would it be to me, and how would you reproach 
yourself, if I should happen to die without receiving this grace !" 
I answered, that she should prepare to receive it on the next 
day, and left her. The joy which my reply gave her, caused so 
immediate a change, that she was in a state to repair early in 
the morning to the chapel. I was beyond measure surprised at 
her arrival, and immediately and most solemnly administered to 
her the rite of baptism. As soon as it was over she returned to 
her cabin, where she did not cease to thank the divine mercy for 



44 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

SO great a blessing, and to sigh for the happy moment which 
should unite her to God for all eternity. Her prayers were 
favorably heard, and I was privileged to assist at her death. 
What a providential dispensation for this poor girl, and what a 
consolation for me to have been the instrument which God was 
willing to use in placing her in heaven ! 

You will not require from me, my dear brother, that I should 
enter into detail with regard to all that has happened to me 
during the many years that I have been in this mission. My 
occupations are always the same ; and I should expose myself to 
wearisome repetitions. I will therefore only relate to you 
certain facts which seem to me most worthy of your attention. 
I feel authorized to assert, in general, that you would find it 
difficult to restrain your tears if you should find yourself in my 
church when our Indians are assembled there, and be a witness 
of the piety with which they recite their prayers, chant divine 
offices, and participate in the Sacraments of Penance and the 
Eucharist. When they have been enlightened by the faith, and 
sincerely embraced it, they are no longer the same persons, and 
the greater part preserve undimmed the purity they have re- 
ceived at baptism. It is this which fills me with the deepest 
joy, when I hear their confessions, which are frequent ; no 
matter what questions I put to them, I often can with difficulty 
find materials to render absolution necessary. 

My duties among them are unceasing. As they look for as- 
sistance no where except from their missionary, and have entire 
confidence in him, it is not sufficient for me to confine myself to 
the spiritual functions of my ministry, for the sanctification of 
their souls. It is necessary, also, that I should interest myself 
in their temporal affairs, that I should be always ready to console 
them when they come to me for advice, that I should decide 
their little differences, that I should take care of them when 
they are ill, that I should bleed them, that I should administer 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 45 

medicines to them, &c. My days are often so entirely occupied, 
that I am obliged to shut myself up to find time to attend to my 
prayers, and the recital of my Office. 

The zeal with which God has filled me for the welfare of my 
Indians, was very much alarmed in the year 1697, when I learned 
that a tribe of the Avialingan Indians was coming to establish 
themselves within one day's journey of my village. I had reason 
to fear lest the arts of their medicine-men, that is, the sacrifices 
which they offer to the Evil Spirit, and the disorders which ordi- 
narily attend them, might produce an impression on some of my 
young neophytes ; but thanks to the Divine Mercy, my fears 
were presently dissipated in a way which I am going to relate 
to you. 

One of our chiefs, celebrated in this country for his valor, 
having been killed by the English, who are not far distant from 
us, the Amalingans deputed several of their nation to proceed to 
our village, for the purpose of drying the tears of the relatives of 
the illustrious deceased ; that is to say, as I have already explain- 
ed to you, to visit them, to make them presents, and to testify by 
their dancer the sympathy they felt in their affliction. They ar- 
rived in our village on Corpus Christi day.* I was then occu- 
pied in receiving the confessions of my Indians, which lasted the 
whole of that day, the night following, and the next day even till 
noon, when commenced the Procession of the Consecrated Host. 
This was conducted with much order and devotion, and although 
in the middle of these forests, with more of pomp and magnificence 
than you can well imagine. This spectacle, which was entirely 
new to the Amalingans^ attracted their attention and excited their 
admiration. It seemed to me that I ought to avail myself of the 
favorable disposition which they showed, and therefore after hav- 

[*An annual festival in the Church oi" Rome, on the Thursday after 
Trinity Sunday. Its design is to commemorate the corporal presence of 
Christ in the Holy Eucharist,] 



46 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

ing assembled them, I made tlie following address in the Indian 
style. 

" For a long time, my children, I have wished to see you : and 
now that I have this happiness, it wants but little that my heart 
should burst. Think of the joy which a father will experience 
who tenderly loves his children, when they return to him after a- 
long absence, during which they have been exposed to the great- 
est dangers, and you can conceive a portion of what I feel. For 
although you do not as yet pray, I shall not cease to regard you 
as my children, and to have for you the tenderness of a father, 
because you are the children of the Great Spirit, who has given 
life to you as well as to those who pray, who has- made the Hea- 
ven for you as well as for them, who cares for you as he does for 
them and for me, that all may together enjoy eternal happiness. 
"What however gives me pain, and diminishes the joy I feel at 
seeing you, is the reflection which is forced upon me, that one 
day I must be separated from a part of my children, whose lot 
will be eternally miserable, because they will not pray, while the 
others who do pray will be in joy which shall never end. When 
I think of this sad separation, how can I have a contented heart ? 
The joy which I receive from the happiness of some, does not 
■equal my affliction on account of the misery which awaits others. 
If you had invincible obstacles to the Prayer, and if while you 
remain in the state in which you now are, I could enable you to 
enter Heaven, I would spare nothing to procure you this happi- 
ness. I would thrust you forward, I would force you to enter 
there, so much do I love you, and so much do I desire your wel- 
fare ; but this is a thing which is impossible. It is necessary to 
pray, it is necessary to be baptized, to enable you to enter that 
place of enjoyments." 

After this preamble, I explained to them at length the princi- 
pal articles of our faith, and I continued thus : — 

" All these sayings which I have endeavored to explain to you, 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 47 

are not by any means human words ; they are the words of the 
Great Spirit : neither are they at all written, as are the words of 
a man, on a collar, which they cause to express what they wish ; 
but they are written in the Book of the Great Spirit, where a 
falsehood could not gain entrance." 

To enable you to understand this Indian expression, I must 
remark, my dear brother, that the custom of these people, when 
they write to any nation is to send a collar, or a wide belt, on 
which they have made different figures with grains of porcelain of 
different colors. They give instructions to him who carries the col- 
lar, telling him, " This is what we mean the collar to say to such a 
nation, or to such a person," and so they send him forth. Our In- 
dians would have difficulty in comprehending what was said, and 
would give it but little attention, if the speaker did not conform to 
their manner of thought and expression. I proceeded thus : — 

" Courage, my children, listen to the voice of the Great Spirit, 
which speaks to you by my mouth. He loves you, and his love 
for you is so great that he has given his life to procure for you 
life eternal. Alas, perhaps he has only permitted the death of 
one of our chiefs, as a means of drawing you to the place of the 
Prayer, and causing you to hear his voice. Reflect then that you 
are not immortal. A day will come when others in this way will 
endeavor to dry the tears which are shed for your death, and 
what will it avail you to have been in this life numbered with 
great Chiefs, if after death you are cast into eternal flames ? He 
whom you come to mourn with us, had the happiness a thousand 
times to have listened to the voice of the Great Spirit, and to 
have been faithful to the Prayer. Pray as he did, and you §hall 
live eternally. Courage, my children, we will not separate at 
all, that some should go to one place and the rest to another ; 
let us all go to Heaven, it is our country, it is thither you are 
exhorted to attain by the only Master of life, whose interpreter 
I am. Think of it seriously." 



48 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

As soon as I had ceased speaking, they consulted together for 
some time, until at length their orator made me this answer on 
their part. " My father, I am delighted to hear you. Your 
voice has penetrated even to my heart, but my heart is as yet 
shut, nor am I able now to open it, to let you know what is 
there, or to which side it will turn. It is necessary that I should 
wait for many chiefs and other considerable tribes of our nation 
who will arrive during the next autumn. It is then that I will 
disclose my heart to you. Behold, my dear father, all that I 
am able to say to you at this time." 

" My heart is content," I replied to them ; " I am perfectly 
satisfied since my words have afforded you pleasure, and you ask 
time to think of them. You will only be firmer in your attach- 
ment to the Prayer when once you have embraced it. Neverthe- 
less, I shall not cease to address myself to the Great Spirit, and 
to beg him to regard you with the eyes of mercy, and to strengthen 
your thoughts to the end that they may decide in favor of the 
Prayer." After this I left the assembly, and they returned to 
their own village. 

When the autumn came, I learned that one of our Indians 
was about to go to the Amal'mgans^ to obtain corn for planting 
the fields. I sent for him, and charged him to tell them on my 
part, that I was impatient again to see my children, that I was 
always present with them in spirit, and I prayed them to remem- 
ber the promise they had given me. The Indian faithfully ful- 
filled his commission, and this was the answer which the Amalin- 
gans made. 

" We are very much obliged to our father for thinking of us 
without ceasing. For our part, we have meditated much on what 
he has said to us. We cannot forget those words while we have 
a heart, for they have been so deeply engraven there that nothing 
can efface them. We are persuaded that he loves us, we wish to 
listen to him, and to obey him in that point which he so much 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 49 

desires us. We accept the prayer whicli he purposes to us, for 
we see nothing in it but what is good and praiseworthy. We 
are entirely resolved to embrace it, and should at once go to find 
our father in his village, if he had there sufficient food for our 
sustenance during the time which he should devote to our in- 
struction. But how can we find it there ? We know that hunger 
is in the cabin of our fatlier, and it is this which doubly afflicts 
us, that our father suffers hunger, and that we cannot go to see 
him that he may instruct us. If our father could come and pass 
some time here with us, he would live and might instruct us. 
This is what you must say to our fiither." 

This answer of the Amalingans was returned to me at a most 
favorable time. The greater part of my Indians were going to 
be away for some days to procure food to last them until the har- 
vest of Indian corn. Their absence, therefore, gave me leisure 
to visit the Amalingans^ and on the next day I embarked in a 
canoe to repair to their village. I was about a league distant, 
when they perceived me, and immediately saluted me with a con- 
tinual discharge of their guns, which lasted until I landed from 
the canoe. This honor which they had paid me, assured me of 
their present dispositions. I did not lose the least time, but as 
soon as I had arrived, I caused them to plant the Cross, and 
those who accompanied me raised as soon as possible a Chapel, 
which they made of bark, in the same way in which they forfti 
their cabins, and within it they erected an Ultar. While they 
were occupied in this work, I visited all the cabins of the Ama- 
lingans^ to prepare them for the instructions I was about to give. 
As soon as I commenced, they gave the most assiduous attention. 
I assembled them three times during the day in the Chapel, 
namely, in the morning after mass, at noon, and in the evening 
after prayer. During the rest of the day I went round the cab- 
ins, where I again gave them more particular instructions. 

When after some days of continual toil, I judged that they 

4 



50 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

were sufficiently instructed, I fixed tlie day on which they should 
come to receive regeneration in the waters of Holy Baptism. 
The first who came to the Chapel were the chief, the orator, 
three of the most considerable men of the nation, with two fe- 
males. Immediately after their baptism, two other bands, each 
of twenty Indians, succeeded them, who received the same grace. 
In fine, all the rest continued to arrive there on that day and 
during the next. 

You can well believe, my dear brother, that severe as may be 
these labors for a missionary, he is at the same time well recom- 
pensed for all his fatigues, by the delightful consolation that he 
has been the means of bringing an entire nation into the path of 
safety. I had prepared to leave them and return to my own vil- 
lage, when a deputation came to me on their part, with the mes- 
sage, that they had all assembled in one place, and prayed me to 
repair to their meeting. As soon as I appeared in their midst, 
the orator addressed these words to me in the name of all the 
rest : " Our father," said he, " we can find no words in which to 
testify the inexpressible joy we have felt at b^ving received bap- 
tism. It seems to us now that we have a difi"erent heart. Every- 
thing which caused us any difficulty is entirely dissipated, our 
thoughts are no longer wavering, the baptism has strengthened 
us within, and we are firmly resolved to respect it all the days of 
our life. Behold what we wish to say to you before you leave 
us." I replied to them in a short discourse, in which I exhorted 
them to persevere in the grace they had received, and to do no- 
thing unworthy of the rank of children of God, with which they 
had been honored when they received Holy Baptism. As they 
were preparing to depart to the sea-shore, I added, that on their 
return we would determine which was best, whether we should 
go and live with them, or they should come to form with us one 
single village. 

The village in which I live is called Nanrantsouack^ and is sit- 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 51 

uated in a country between Acadia and New England. This 
mission is about twenty-four leagues distance from Feiitagouet^ 
and they reckon it to be a hundred leagues from Fentagomt to 
Port Royal. The river which flows through my mission is the 
largest of all those which water the territories of the Indians. 
It should be marked on the maps by the name of Kmibcld^ and it 
is this which has induced the French to give these Indians the 
name of Kaiiibals. This river empties into the sea at Sankde- 
raiik^ which is only five or six leagues from Pemquit. After hav- 
ing ascended forty leagues from Scmkdemnk, you arrive at my vil- 
lage, which is on the height of a point of land. We are, at the 
most, distant only two days' journey from the English settlements, 
while it takes us more than a fortnight to reach Quebec, and the 
journey is very painful and difficult. It would therefore be 
natural that our Indians should trade with the English, and 
every possible inducement has been held out to them to attract 
and gain their friendship ; but all these eflbrts were useless, and 
nothing was able to detach them from their alliance with the 
French. And yet the only tie which unites us so closely is their 
firm attachment to the Catholic faith. They are convinced that 
if they give themselves up to the English, they will shortly find 
themselves without a missionary, without a sacrifice, without a 
sacrament, and even without any exercise of religion, so that lit- 
tle by little, they would be plunged again into their former hea- 
thenism. This firmness of our Indians has been subjected to 
many kinds of tests by their powerful neighbors, but without 
their being ever able to gain anything. 

At the time that the war was about to be rekindled between 
the European powers, the English governor, w^io had lately ar- 
rived at Boston, requested a conference with our Indians by the 
sea-shore, on an island which he designated.* They consented, 

[*This was Governor Dudley in 1703. They met at Casco. The ac- 
count of this interview given by Rale, differs so much from that of the 



52 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

and begged me to accompany tliem thither, that they might con- 
fciult me with regard to any artful propositions which might be 
made to them, so that they could be assured their answers would 
contain nothing contrary to their religion- or the interest of the 
King's service. I therefore followed them, with the intention of 
merely remaining in their quarters, to aid their counsels, without 
appearing before the Governor. As we approached the island, 
being more than two hundred canoes in number, the English 
saluted us with the discharge of all the cannon of their ships, and 
the Indians responded to it by a similar discharge from all their 
guns. Immediately afterwards the Governor appeared on the 
island, the Indians hastily landed, and I thus found myself where 
I did not desire to be, and where the Governor did not wish that 
I should be. As soon as he perceived me, he advanced some 
steps to where I was, and after the usual compliments returned 
to the midst of his people, while I rejoined the Indians. 

" It is by the order of our Queen," said he, " that I have come 
to see you : she earnestly desires that you should live in peace. 
If any of the English should be so imprudent as to wrong you, 
do not think to avenge yourselves, but immediately address your 
complaints to me, and I will render you prompt justice. If war 
should happen to take place between us and the French, remain 
neutral, and do not in any way mix yourselves in our difficulties. 
The French are as strong as we are : permit us therefore to settle 
our own quarrels. We will supply your wants, we will take your 
furs, and we will afford you. our merchandise at a moderate price." 
My presence prevented him from saying all that he had intended, 
for it was not without design that he had brought a minister with 
him. 

When he had ceased speaking, the Indians retired to deliber- 
ate among themselves on the answer they should make. During 

New England historians that it is impossible in any way to reconcile them. 
See, for example, Penhallow's Indian wars. N. H. Hist. Coll. vol. i, p. 20.] 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 53 

this time the Governor took me aside. " I pray you, Monsieur," 
said he, " do not induce the Indians to make war on us." I 
replied to him " that my religion, and my character as a priest, 
engaged me to give them only the counsels of peace." I should 
have spoken more, had I not found myself immediately surrounded 
by a band of some twenty young warriors, who feared lest the Go- 
vernor wished to take me awa}^ Meantime the Indians advan- 
ced, and one of them made the Governor the following reply : — 

" Great Chief, you have told us not to unite with the French- 
man in case that you declare war against him. Know that the 
Frenchman is my brother ; we have one and the same Prayer 
both for him and ourselves, and we dwell in the same cabin at 
two fires, he is at one fire and I am at the other fire. If I should 
see you enter the cabin on the side of the fire where my brother 
the Frenchman is seated, I should watch you fiH)m my mat where 
I am seated at the other fire. If, observing you, I perceived that 
you had a hatchet, I should think, what does the Englishman in- 
tend to do with that hatchet ? Then I should raise myself from 
my mat to see what he was going to do. If he lifted the 
hatchet to strike my brother the Frenchman, I should seize 
mine and rush at the Englishman to strike him. Would it be 
possible for me to see my brother struck in my cabin, and I re- 
main quiet on my mat? No, no, I love my brother too well not 
to defend him. Thus I would say to you, Great Chief, do 
nothing to my brother, and I will not do anything to you. Re- 
main quiet on your mat, and I will remain quietly on mine." 

Thus the conference ended. A short time afterwards some of 
our Indians arrived from Quebec, and reported that a French 
ship had brought the news of war being renewed between France 
and England. Immediately our Indians, after having deliberated 
according to their custom, ordered their young people to kill the 
dogs to make a war feast, and to learn there wlio wished to engage 
themselves. The feast took place, they arranged the kettle, they 



54 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

danced, and two hundred and fifty warriors were present. After 
the festival they appointed a day to come to confession. I ex- 
horted them to preserve the same attachment to their Prayer that 
they would have in the village, to observe strictly the laws of 
war, not to be guilty of any cruelty, never to kill any one except 
in the heat of combat, to treat humanely those who surrendered 
themselves prisoners, &c. 

The manner in which these people make war, renders a hand- 
ful of their warriors more formidable, than would be a body of 
two or three thousand European soldiers. As soon as they 
have entered the enemy's country, they divide themselves into 
different parties, one of thirty warriors, another of forty, &c. 
They say to each other, " To you, we give this hamlet to devour," 
(that is their expression), " To those others we give this village, 
&c." Then they arrange the signal for a simultaneous attac]£, 
and at the same time on different points. In this way our two 
hundred and fifty warriors spread themselves over more than 
twenty leagues of country, filled with villages, hamlets, and man- 
sions ; on the day designated they made their attack together 
early in the morning, and in that single day swept away all that 
the English possessed there, killed more than two hundred, and 
took five hundred prisoners, with the loss on their part of only 
a few warriors slightly wounded. They returned from this ex- 
pedition to the village, having each one two canoes loaded with 
the plunder they had taken. 

During the time that the war lasted, they carried desolation 
into all the territories which belonged to the English, ravaged 
their villages, their forts, their farms, took an immense number 
of their cattle, and made more than six hundred prisoners. At 
length these gentlemen, pursuaded with reason that in keeping 
my Indians in their attachment to the Catholic faith, I was more 
and more strengthening the bonds which united them to the 
French, set in operation every kind of wile and artifice to detach 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 55 



them from me. Neither oflFcrs nor promises were spared to in- 
duce the Indians to deliver me into their hands, or at least to 
send me back to Quebec, and take one of their ministers in my 
place. They made many attempts to surprise me and carry me 
oflF by force ; they even went so far as to promise a thousand 
pounds sterling to any one who would bring them my head. 
You may well believe, my dear brother, that these threats 
are able neither to intimidate me, nor diminish my zeal. I 
should be only too happy if I might become their victim, or if 
God should judge me worthy to be loaded with irons, and to shed 
my blood for the salvation of my dear Indians. 

At the first news which arrived of peace having been made in 
Europe, the Governor of Boston sent word to our Indians, that 
if they would assemble in a place which he designated, he would 
confer with them on the present conjuncture of affairs.* All the 
Indians accordingly repaired to the place appointed, and the 
Governor addressed them thus :— " Men of Naranhous, I would 
inform you that peace is made between the King of France and 
our Queen, and by this treaty of peace the King of France has 
ceded to our Queen, Plaisance and Portrail, with all the adjacent 
territories. Thus, if you wish, we can live in peace together. 
We have done so in former times, but the suggestions of the 
French have made you break it, and it was to please them that 
you came to kill us. Let us forget all these unfortunate affairs, 
and cast them into the sea, so that they shall not appear any more, 
and we may be good friends." 

"It is well", replied the Orator in the name of the In- 
dians " that the Kings should be in peace ; I am contented that 
it should be so, and have no longer any difficulty in making 

[* This was after the war was brought to a close by the Treaty of Utrecht 
in 1713. Gov. Dudley at that time again met the Indians at Portsmouth on 
the nth of July. 1713. Here again the accounts given by Rale and Fen- 
hallow are widely different.] 



56 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

peace with you. I was not the one who struck you during the last 
twelve years ; it was the Frenchmen who used my arm to strike 
you. We were at peace, it is true. I had even thrown away my 
hatchet I know not where, and as I was reposing on my mat, 
thinking of nothing, the young men brought a message which the 
Governor of Canada had sent, and by which he said to me, ' My 
son, the Englishman has struck me ; help me to avenge myself ; 
take the hatchet, and strike the Englishman.' I, who have 
always listened to the words of the French Governor, search for 
my hatchet, I find it entirely rusted, I burnish it up, I place it 
at my belt to go and strike. Now, the Frenchman tells me to 
lay it down ; I therefore throw it far from me, that no one may 
longer see the blood with which it is reddened. Thus, let us live 
in peace ; I consent to it. 

" But you say that the Frenchman has given you Plaisance and 
Portrail, which is in my neighborhood, with all the adjacent terri- 
tories. He may give you anything he pleases, but for me, I have my 
land which the Great Spirit has given me to live on : as long as there 
shall be child remaining of my nation, he will fight to preserve it." 

Every thing ended in this friendly way : the Governor made a 
great feast for the Indians, after which each one withdrew. 

The happy arrival of peace, and the tranquillity they began to 
enjoy, suggested to the Indians the idea. of rebuilding our Church, 
ruined during a sudden irruption which the English made, while 
they were absent from the village.* As we were very far re- 
moved from Quebec, and were much nearer Boston, they sent a 
deputation thither of several of the principal men of the nation 
to ask for workmen, with the promise of paying them liberally 
for their labor. The Governor received them with great demon- 
strations of friendship, and gave them all kinds of caresses. " I 
wish myself to rebuild your Church", said he, " and I will 

[=*Tliis is known in New England history as the expedition of Colonel 
Hilton in 1705.] 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 57 



spend more for you, than has been done by the French Governor, 
whom you call your father. It would be his duty to rebuild it, 
since it was in some degree for his sake that it was ruined, by 
inducing you to strike me ; for, as for me, I defend myself as I 
am able ; he on the contrary, after having used you for his de- 
fence, has abandoned you. I will do much more for you, for not 
only will I grant you the workmen, but I wish also to pay them 
myself, and to defray all the other expences of the edifice which 
you desire to have erected. But as it is not reasonable that I 
who am English should build a Church, without placing there 
also an English Minister to guard it, and to teach the Prayer, I 
will give you one with whom you will be contented, and you 
shall send back to Quebec the French Minister who is now in 
your village." 

"Your words astonish me," replied the deputy of the In- 
dians, " and you excite my wonder by the proposition which 
you make to me. When you first came hither, you saw me a 
long time before the French governors ; but neither those who 
preceded you, nor your ministers have spoken to me of prayer, 
or of the Great Spirit. They have seen my furs, my skins of 
the beaver and the elk, and it is about these only they have 
thought ; these they have sought with the greatest eagerness, so 
that I was not able to furnish them enough, and when I carried 
them a large quantity I was their great friend, but no further. 
On the contrary, my canoe having one day missed the route, I 
lost my way, and wandered a long time at random, until at last 
I landed near Quebec, in a great village of the Algonquins, where 
the black Robes* were teaching. Scarcely had I arrived when 
one of the black Robes came to see me. I was loaded with furs, 
but the French black Robe scarcely deigned to look at them. 
He spoke to me at once of the Great Spirit, of Paradise, of Hell, 
of the Prayer, which is the only way to reach Heaven. I heard 

* The Jesuits. 

4# 



58 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

him with pleasure, and so much delighted in his conversations, 
that I remained a long time in that village to listen to them. 
In fine, the Prayer pleased me, and 1 asked him to instruct me ; 
I demanded Baptism, and I received it. At last I returned to 
my country, and related what had happened to me. They envied 
my happiness, they wished to participate in it, they departed to 
find the black Robe and demand of him Baptism. It is thus that 
the French have acted towards me. If as soon as you had seen 
me, you had spoken to me of the Prayer, I should have had the 
unhappiness to pray as you do, for I was not capable of discover- 
ing whether your Prayer was good. Thus, I tell you that I hold 
to the Prayer of the French ; I agree to it, and I shall be faith- 
ful to it even until the earth is burnt and destroyed. Keep then 
your workmen, your gold, and your minister, I will not speak to 
you more of them : I will ask the French Governor my father, 
to send them to me." 

Indeed, Monsieur the Governor had no sooner been apprised 
of the ruin of our Church, than he sent some workmen to rebuild 
it. It possesses a beauty which would cause it to be admired 
even in Europe, and nothing has been spared to adorn it. You 
have been able to see by the detail I have given in my letter to 
my Nephew, that in the depths of these forests, and among these 
Indian tribes, the Divine service is performed with much pro- 
priety and dignity. It is to this point that I am very attentive, 
not only when the Indians reside in the village, but also all the 
time that they are obliged to remain by the sea-shore, where they 
go twice each year, for the purpose of obtaining means of subsis- 
tence. Our Indians have so entirely destroyed the game in this 
part of the couixtry, that during ten years they have scarcely 
found either elk or roebuck. The bears and beavers have also 
become very rare. They have scarcely anything on which to 
live but Indian corn, beans, and pumpkins. They grind the corn 
between two stones to reduce it to meal, then they make it into 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 59 

a kind of hominy, which they often season with fat or with dried 
fish. When the corn fails them, they search in the ploughed 
land for potatoes, or acorns, which last they esteem as much as 
corn. After having dried them, they are boiled in a kettle with 
ashes to take away their bitterness. For myself I eat them dry, 
and they answer for bread. 

At a particular season of the year, they repair to a river not far 
distant, where during one month the fish ascend in such great 
quantities, that a person could fill fifty thousand barrels in a day, 
if he could endure the labor. They are a kind of large her- 
rings, very agreeable to the taste when they are fresh ; crowding 
one upon another to the depth of a foot, they are drawn out 
as if they were water. The Indians dry them for eight or 
ten days, and live on them during all the time that they are 
planting their fields. 

It is only in the Spring that they plant their corn, and they do 
not give them their last tillage until towards Corpus-Christi Day. 
After this they deliberate as to what spot on the sea-shore they 
shall go to find something to live on until the harvest, which does 
not ordinarily take place until a little after the Festival of the 
Assumption.* When their deliberations are over, they send a 
messenger to pray me to repair to their assembly. As soon as I 
have arrived there, one of them addresses me thus in the name 
of all the others. " Our father, what I say to you is what all 
those whom you see here would say ; you know us, you know that 
we are in want of food, we have had difficulty in giving the last 
tillage to our fields, and now have no other resource until the 
harvest, but to go and seek provisions by the sea-shore. It will 
be hard for us to abandon our Prayer, and it is for this reason we 
hope you will be willing to accompany us, so that while seeking 
the means of living, we shall not at all interrupt our Prayer. 
Such and such persons will embark you, and what you have to 
[*.The 15th of August.] 



60 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

carry with you shall be distributed in the other canoes. This is 
what I have to say to you." I have no sooner replied to them 
Icekikberba, (it is an Indian term which implies, I hear you, my 
children, I agree to what you ask.) than they all cry out together 
arierie, which is an expression of thanks. Immediatel}^ after- 
wards we leave the village. 

As soon as they reach the place where they are to pass the 
night, they fix up stakes at intervals in the form of a chapel ; 
they surround them with a large tent made of ticking, which has 
no opening except in front. It is all finished in a quarter of an 
hour. I always carry with me a beautiful board of cedar about 
four feet in length, with the necessary supports, and this serves 
for an altar, while above it they place an appropriate canopy. I 
ornament the interior of the Chapel with very beautiful silk 
cloths ; a mat of reeds dyed and admirably made, a large bear 
skin serves for a carpet. They carry this always prepared, and 
no sooner are they settled down than the Chapel is arranged. 
At night I take my repose on a carpet ; the Indians sleep in the 
air in the open fields if it does not rain, but if the snow or the 
rain falls, they cover themselves with bark which they carry with 
them, and which they have rolled out until it resembles cloth. 
If their journey is made in the winter, they remove the snow 
from a space large enough for the Chapel to occupy, and arrange 
it as usual. There each day is made the morning and evening 
prayers, and the Sacrifice of the Mass is offered up. 

When the Indians have reached their destination, the very 
next, day they occupy themselves in raising the Church, which 
they dress up with their bark cloths. I carry with me my plate, 
and every thing which is necessary to ornament the choir, which 
I hang with silk cloths and beautiful calicos. Divine Service is 
performed there as at the village, and in fact they form a kind of 
village with all their wigwams made of bark, which are all pre- 
pared in less than an hour. After the Festival of the Assump- 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 61 

tioiij they leave the sea and return to their village for the pur- 
pose of reaping their harvest. During this time they are obliged 
to live very sparingly until All-Saints' Day,* when they return a 
second time to the sea. It is while there, during this season, 
that they fare daintily. Besides the large fish, the shell-fish, and 
the fruits, they find also bustards, ducks, and all kinds of game, 
with which the sea is covered at the place where they encamp, 
which is divided up by a great number of little islands. The 
hunters who go out in the morning to shoot ducks and other 
kinds of game, sometimes kill twenty of them at a single dis- 
charge of their guns. Towards the Festival of the Purification,! 
or later towards Ash-Wednesday, they return to the village, ex- 
cept the hunters, who disperse about in pursuit of the bears, elks, 
deer, and beavers. 

These good Indians have often given proofs of their sincere 
attachment for me, particularly on two occasions, when being with 
them at the sea-shore, they became exceedingly alarmed on my 
account. One day while they were busy in the chase, a report 
was suddenly spread,- that a party of the English had made an 
irruption into my quarters and carried me oflf. In that very hour 
they assembled, and the result of their deliberation was, that they 
would pursue the party until they had overtaken it, and would 
snatch me from their hands, even at the cost of life. The same 
instant they sent two young Indians to my cabin, the night being 
then far advanced. When they entered my cabin, I was engaged 
in composing the life of a saint in the Indian language. " Ah, 
our father !" they cried out, " how relieved we are to see you !" 
" And I am equally rejoiced to see you," I replied ; " but what 
has brought you here at so unusual a time ?" " Our coming is 
indeed useless," said they ; " but we were assured that the Eng- 
lish had carried you off. We came to mark their tracks, and our 
warriors could scarcely be restrained from pursuing them, and 
[* The l3t of November.] [t The 2nd of February.] 



62 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

attacking the fort, where, if the news had been true, the English 
would, without doubt, have imprisoned you." "You see, my 
children," I answered, " that your fears are unfounded ; but the 
affectionate care which my children have shown, fills my heart 
with joy, for it is a proof of their attachment to the Prayer. Tjo- 
morrow you shall depart immediately after Mass, to undeceive as 
soon as possible our brave warriors, and to relieve them from 
their anxiety." 

Another alarm, equally false, placed me in great embarrass- 
ment, and exposed me to the danger of perishing by famine and 
misery. Two Indians came in haste to my abode, to give me 
notice that they had seen the English within a half day's jour- 
ney. " Our father," said they to me, " there is not the least time 
to lose. You will risk too much by remaining here. We will 
wait for them, and perhaps will keep in advance of them. The 
runners are going to set out this moment to watch them. But 
as for you, it is necessary that you should go to the village with 
the persons whom we have brought to conduct you thither. When 
we know that you are in a place of safety, we shall be easy." 

I therefore departed at break of day with ten Indians, who 
acted as my guides ; but after some days' march, we found our- 
selves at the end of our small stock of provisions. My conduc- 
tors killed a dog which followed them, and eat it ; finally they 
were obliged to resort to their bags made of the skin of the sea- 
wolf, which they also eat. I found it however impossible for me 
to bring myself to taste them. Nevertheless I lived on a kind 
of wood, which they boiled, and which, after being thus prepared, 
is as tender as radishes after they have been partially cooked. 
They use all the wood except the heart, which is very hard, and 
which they throw aside. It had not a bad taste, but I had 
great difficulty in swallowing it. Sometimes too they found 
attached to the trees excrescences of wood which are white, like 
large mushrooms : these they boil and reduce to a kind of jelly ; 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. C3 

but it is necessary to acquire a taste for them. At other times 
they dried in the fire the bark of the evergreen oak, then they 
pounded it up and made a kind of paste, or else used it dry. 
Then there were the leaves which grew in the clefts of the rocks, 
and which they call tripes de rochc; when these are boiled they make 
a paste very black and disagreeable. But of all these I eat, for 
there is nothing which famine will not enable us to digest. 

With food of this kind we could make very short journeys in 
a day. We arrived at last at a lake which had begun to thaw, 
and where there was already four inches depth of water on the 
ice. It was necessary to cross it with our snow-shoes, but as 
these were made of strips of skin, as soon as they were wet they 
became very heavy, and rendered our march exceedingly difficult. 
One of our people went before to sound the way, yet I suddenly 
found myself sinking into my knees. Another who was at my 
side presently sunk to his waist, crying out, " My father, I am 
perishing !" As I approached to give him my hand, I found my- 
self sinking still deeper. At last, it was not without great diffi- 
culty that we extricated ourselves from this danger, -through the 
incumbrance caused by our snow-shoes, of which we could not rid 
ourselves. Nevertheless the risk I ran of drowning was much 
less than that of dying of cold in the midst of this half-frozen 
lake. 

But the next day new dangers awaited us in the passage of a 
river which it was necessary for us to cross on the floating ice. 
We, however, extricated ourselves happily from it, and at length 
arrived at the village. My first step was to dig up a little Indian 
corn which I had left in my abode, and I eat it, entirely raw as 
it was, to appease my first hunger, while the poor Indians wer 
making all kinds of effi)rts to regale me. And in truth the re- 
past which they prepared for me, frugal as it was, and little as it 
might have seemed tempting to you, was in their eyes a veritable 
feast. At first they served me with a plate of boiled Indian 



64 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

corn. For the second course, they gave me a small piece of bear's 
meat, with acorns, and a thin cake of Indian corn cooked under 
the ashes. At last, the third course, which formed the dessert, 
consisted of an ear of Indian corn roasted before the fire, with 
some grains of the same corn cooked under the ashes. When I 
asked them why they had provided for me such excellent fare, 
" How now ! our father," they replied to me, " is it not two days 
since you have eaten anything ? could we do less ? would to God 
that we were able often to regale you in this way !" 

Whilst I was thinking to recover from my fatigues, one of the 
Indians who were dwelling by the sea-shore, being ignorant of 
my return to the village, caused a new alarm. Having come to 
my quarters, and neither finding me anywhere, nor those who 
were in the same cabin with me, he did not at all doubt but that 
we had been taken off by a party of the English, and while on 
his way to give intelligence to those who were in his quarter, he 
reached the banks of a river. There, he took a piece of bark, on 
which he drew with charcoal a representation of the English sur- 
rounding me, and one of them cutting off my head. (This is the 
only kind of writing which the Indians possess, and by these 
kinds of figures they convey to each other information, in the 
same way that we should do by our letters.) He then placed 
this kind of letter around a stick which he planted on the bank 
of the river, for the purpose of informing those who passed as tc 
what had happened to me. A short time afterwards, some In- 
dians who were passing by that spot in six canoes to go to the 
village, perceived this bark. "See that writing," said they, 
" let us learn what it tells us. Alas !" they all cried on reading 
it, " the English have killed those of the quarter in which our 
father lives ; as for him, they have cut off his head." They im- 
mediately plucked off the lock of hair which they are accustomed 
to leave negligently flowing on their shoulders, and sat down 
about the stick on which they had found the letter, even to the 



THE WANDERINGS OF FATHER RASLES. 65 

next day, without speaking a word. This ceremony is among 
them the sign of the deepest affliction. The next day they con- 
tinued their route until they arrived within half a league of the 
village, where they halted. From thence they sent one of their 
number through the woods to the village, to see whether the 
English had come to burn the fort and the cabins. I happened 
to be walking up and down along the river by the fort, for the 
purpose of reciting my Breviary, when the Indian arrived oppo- 
site to me on the other side, " Ah, my father," he cried out, 
" how relieved I am to see you ! My heart was dead, but it re- 
vives at seeing you. We found a writing which told us that the 
English had cut off your head. How relieved I am that it was 
false." When I proposed to him that I should send over a 
canoe to enable him to cross the river, " No," he replied, " it is 
enough that I have seen you. I retrace my steps to carry this 
agreeable news to those who have accompanied me, and we will 
shortly join you." And in truth they arrived there that very 
day. 

I think, my very dear brother, that I have satisfied the desire 
you expressed to me, by the summary account I have given you 
of the nature of the country, the character of the Indians, my 
occupations, my toils, and the dangers to which I am exposed. 
You judge, without doubt, that it is from the English in our 
neighborhood that I have most to fear. It is true that for a 
long time past they have sought my destruction, but neither the 
ill-will they bear me, nor the death with which they threaten 
me,* can ever separate me from my ancient flock. I commend 
them to your holy prayers, and am, with the most tender at- 
tachment, &c. 



* He was murdered diu-ing the foUowmg year. 



DEATH OF FATHER RASLES 



1724. 



LETTER III. 



FROM FATHER DE LA CHASSE, SUPERIOR GENERAL OF MISSIONS IN 
i/eW FRANCE, TO FATHER * * * OF THE SAME SOCIETY. 



At Cluebec, the 29th of October, 1724. 

The Peace of our Lord be with you : 

In the deep grief which we feel for the loss of one of our 
oldest Missionaries, it is a sweet consolation for us, that he has 
fallen a victim to his love, and his zeal to preserve the faith in 
the hearts of his neophytes. You have been already apprized 
by previous letters of the origin of the war which was kindled up 
between the English and the Indians. In the former it was the 
desire to extend their dominions ; in the latter, the horror of all 
subjection and the attachment to their religion, caused at first 
that misunderstanding, which was at length followed by an open 
rupture. 

The Father Rasles, missionary to the Abnakis, had become ex- 
ceedingly odious to the English. Convinced that his industry 
in strengthening the Indians in their faith constituted the great- 
est obstacle to the design they had formed of encroaching upon 
their lands, they set a price upon his head ; and, on more than 
one occasion, endeavored either to capture or destroy him. At 
last they have effected their object in satisfying their transports 
of hate, and freeing themselves from this apostolical man ; but, 
at the same time, they have procured for him a glorious death, 
which was always the height of his desires ; for we know that for 



70 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

a long time lie had aspired to tlie happiness of sacrificing his life 
for his flock. I will describe to you in a few words the circum- 
stances of this eyent. 

After frequent hostilities had taken place on one side and the 
other between the two- nations, a small force, composed of the 
English and their Indian allies to the number of about eleven 
hundred men, came unexpectedly to attack the village of Nan- 
rantsouak. The thick brushwood by which the village is sur- 
rounded, aided them in concealing their march, and as besides it 
was not even enclosed by palisades, the Indians taken by sur- 
prise, did not perceive the approach of their enemies, until they 
received a general discharge of musketry which riddled all the 
cabins. There were at that time but about fifty warriors in the 
village. At the first noise of the muskets they tumultuously 
seized their arms, and went forth from their cabins to make head 
against the enemy. Their design was, not rashly to sustain a 
contest with so great a number of combatants, but to cover the 
flight of the women and children, and to give them time to gain 
the other side of the river, which was not as yet occupied by the 
English. 

Father Rasles, warned by the clamors and the tumult, of the 
peril which threatened his neophytes, promptly went forth from 
his house, and without fear presented himself before the enemy. 
His hope was, either to suspend, by his presence, their first 
efforts, or, at least, to draw on him alone their attention, and 
thus, at the expense of his own life, to procure the safety of his 
flock. 

The instant they perceived the missionary they raised a gene- 
ral shout, followed by a discharge of musket balls which rained 
on him. He fell dead at the foot of a large cross which he had 
erected in the middle of the village, to mark the public profes- 
sion they had made to adore in that place the crucified God. 



DEATH OF FATHER RASLES. 71 

Seven Indians who surrounded him. and who exposed their lives 
to preserve that of their Father, were killed at his side.* 

The death of the shepherd spread consternation through the 
flock. The Indians took to flight, and crossed the river, part by 
the ford and part by swimming. They had to endure all the 
fury of their enemies, even to the moment when they took refuge 
in the woods on the other side of the river. There they found 
themselves assembled to the number of about a hundred and 
fifty. Although more than two thousand musket shots had been 
directed against them, they had but about thirty persons killed, 
including women and children, and fourteen wounded. The 
English did not attempt to pursue the fugitives, but contented 
themselves with pillaging and burning the village. The fire 
which they kindled in the church was preceded by an unhallowed 
profanation of the sacred vessels and of the adorable body of 
Jesus Christ. 

The precipitate retreat of the enemy permitted the Nanrant- 
souakans to return to the village. On the morrow, they visited 
the ruins of their cabins, while the women on their part sought 
for herbs and plants to dress the wounded. Their first care was 
to weep over the body of their missionary ; they found it pierced 
with a thousand wounds, his scalp taken off", the skull split by 
blows of a hatchet, the mouth and eyes filled with mud. the bones 
of the legs broken, and all the limbs mutilated. They were 
scarcely able to attribute except to the Indian allies of the En- 

[* Hutchinson's account {Hist. v. ii., p. 311), which is gathered from those 
present in the action, differs widely from that of Pere de la Chasse. He 
states that the force sent on this expedition only amounted to two hundred 
and eight men. His narrative of Rale's death is, that he shut himself up in 
a wigwam, from which he fired upon the English. Moulton, the commander, 
had given orders not to kill the priest. But a wound inflicted upon one of 
the English by Rale's fire, so exasperated Jacques, a lieutenant, that ha 
burst the door, and shot Rale through the head.] 



72 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 



glish, such an excess of inliumanity on a body deprived of feel- 
ing and of life. 

After these fervent Christians had washed and kissed many 
times the precious remains of their Father, they buried him in 
the same spot where the evening before he had celebrated the 
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, that is, on the place where the altar 
had stood before the burning of the Church.* 

It is by so precious a death that this apostolical man finished, 
on the 23rd of August of this year, a career of thirty-seven years 
passed in the painful toils of this mission. He was in the 67th 
year of his age. His fasts and continual fatigues had latterly 
enfeebled his constitution. During the last nineteen years he 
had dragged himself about with difficulty, in consequence of a 

[* In one of the former letters we gave a quotation from Whittiers beau- 
tiful poem, describing the scene "which might have been witnessed in that 
little Indian village, during the ministry of Rale. In the following lines he 
has pictured the ruin as it was presented to some Indian wanderers shortly 
after the battle. From that bloody day the Norridgwock tribe was blotted 
out from the list of the Indian nations. 

" No wigwam smoke is curling there ; 
The very earth is scorched and bare ; 
And they pause and listen to catch a sound 

Of breathing life, but there comes not one, 
Save the fox's bark and the rabbit's bound 5 
And here and there, on the blackening ground, 

White bones are glistening in the sun. 
And where the house of prayer arose. 
And the holy hymn at daylight's close. 
And the aged priest stood up to bless 
The children of the wilderness, 
There is naught, save ashes sodden and dank. 

And the birchen boats of the Norridgwock, 

Tethered to tree, and stump, and rock. 
Rotting along the river bank !"] 



DEATH OF FATHER RASLES. 73 

fall in which he broke his right thigh and his left leg. It hap- 
pened that the fractured parts having badly united, it became 
necessary to break the left leg anew. While they were drawing 
it most violently, he sustained this painful operation with extra- 
ordinary firmness and admirable tranquillity. Our physician 
who was present appeared so astonished, that he could not for- 
bear saying to him : " Ah, my Father, permit at least some 
groans to escape you, for you have cause for them." 

Father Hasles joined to talents which made him an excellent 
missionary, those virtues which are necessary for the Evangeli- 
cal Ministry, to be exercised with effect among our Indians. 
He enjoyed robust health, and with the exception of the accident 
I have mentioned, I do not know that he ever had the least in- 
disposition. Vie were surprised at his industry and readiness in 
acquiring the different Indian languages. There was not one on 
this continent of which he had not some smattering. Besides 
the Abnakis language, which he spoke for a long time, he knew 
also the Huron, the Otaouais, and the Illinois. He availed him- 
self of them with great effect in the different missions where 
they are used. Since his arrival in Canada, he was never seen 
to act inconsistently with his character; he was always firm 
and courageous, severe to himself, tender and compassionate in 
his regard to others. 

It is but three years since, that by order of Monsieur our 
Governor, I made a journey through Acadia. In conversation 
with Father Rasles, I represented to him that in case they de- 
clared war against the Indians, he would run the risk of his life ; 
that his village being but fifteen leagues distant from the En- 
glish forts, he would find himself exposed to the first irrup- 
tions ; that his preservation was necessary to his flock, and that 
he ought to take measures for his own security. " My measures 
are taken," he answered in a firm tone ; " God has committed 
this flock to my care, and I will share its lot, being too happy 

5 



74 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

if permitted to sacrifice myself for it." He repeated often the 
same thing to his neophytes, to strengthen their constancy in the 
faith. " We have had but too good a proof," they themselves 
have said to me, " that our dear Father spoke to us from the 
abundance of his heart ; we have seen him with a tranc[uil and 
serene air meet death, and oppose himself alone to the fury of 
the enemy, to retard their first eflbrts, for the purpose of giving 
us time to escape the danger, and to preserve our lives." 

As a price had been set upon his head, and they had attempted 
at diflerent times to capture him, the Indians proposed to him 
during the last spring, that they should conduct him farther into 
the country on the side towards Quebec, where he would be pro- 
tected from the perils by which his life was menaced. " What 
opinion then have you of me," he answered, with an air of indig- 
nation ; " do you take me for a cowardly deserter ? Ah ! what 
would become of your fiiith, if I should desert you ? Your sal- 
vation is dearer to me than my life." 

He was indefatigable in the exercises of his zeal. Without 
cessation being occupied in exhorting the Indians to virtue, he 
thought of nothing but making them earnest Christians. His 
manner of preaching, vehement and pathetic, made a vivid im- 
pression on their hearts. Some families of the Loups,* arrived 
lately from Orange, f have told me with tears in their eyes, that 
they were indebted to him for their conversion to Christianity. 
Having received Baptism from him about thirty years ago, the 
instructions which he at that time gave them, had never been 
effaced from their minds, so efficacious had been his words, and 
so deep their traces in the hearts of those who heard them. 

He was not contented with instructing the Indians almost every 
day in the church, but often visited them in their cabins. His 
familiar conversations charmed them, since he knew how to tem- 
per them with a holy cheerfulness, which pleased the Indians 
*■ Indian nations. [t Fort Orange — Albany.] 



DEATH OF FATHER RASLES. 75 

much more than a grave and sombre air. Thus he had the art 
to persuade them whatever he wished, and he was among them 
as a master in the midst of his scholars. 

Notwithstanding the continual occupations of his ministry, he 
never omitted the Holy Exercises which are observed in our re- 
ligious houses. He rose and offered his prayers at the hour 
which is there appointed. He never excused himself from the 
eight days of retreat from the world in each year, and had set 
apart for this purpose the first days of Lent, which is the time 
that the Saviour entered into the desert. " Unless we fix a par- 
ticular time in the year for these holy exercises," he one day 
said to me, " one occupation succeeds another, and after many 
delays we run the risk of not finding time to observe them ?" 

Religious poverty was exemplified in all his person, in his fur- 
niture, in his food, and in his dress. In a spirit of mortification 
he interdicted himself the use of wine, even when he found him- 
self among the French. His ordinary nourishment was a prepar- 
ation of meal of Indian corn. During certain winters, when the 
Indians were often in want of everything, he found himself re- 
duced to live on acorns ; but far from complaining, he never 
seemed better contented. During the last three years of his life, 
while the war prevented the Indians from freely entering into 
the chase, or planting their fields, their necessities became ex- 
treme, and the Missionary often found himself in dreadful want. 
It became necessary to send to him from Quebec the provisions 
required for his subsistence. " I am ashamed," he wrote to me, 
" of the care which you take of me : a Missionary born to suffer 
should not be so well treated." 

He did not suff'er any one to lend a hand to assist him in the 
most ordinary cares, but always attended to himself. He culti- 
vated his own garden, prepared his own firewood, attended to 
his cabin and his hominy, repaired his old clothes, endeavoring 
in the spirit of poverty to make them last as long as possible. 



76 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

The cassock wHch he had on at the time he was killed, seemed 
so worn and in so miserable a state to those who stripped him of 
it, that they did not think it worth carrying off, as they had at 
first intended. They threw it back on his body, and it was sent 
to us at Quebec. 

To the same extent that he treated himself severely was he 
compassionate and charitable to others. He retained nothing for 
himself, but everything that he received he immediately distribu- 
ted to his poor neophytes. Thus the greater part have given at 
his death demonstrations of grief more vivid than if they had 
lost their nearest relations. 

He took extraordinary pains to ornament and embellish his 
church, being persuaded that this external show which produced 
an effect on the senses, animated the devotion of uncivilized peo- 
ple, and inspired them with the most profound veneration for 
our holy mysteries. As he knew a little of painting, and also 
understood the art of turning, it was decorated with many works 
which he had himself executed. 

You will well judge, my Reverend Father, that these virtues 
of which New France was the witness during so many years, had 
gained for him the respect and affection both of the French and 
Indians. 

Thus he was universally regretted. No one can doubt but 
that he was put to death out of hatred to his ministry, and his 
zeal in establishing the true faith in the hearts of the Indians. 
This is the opinion which is entertained by M. de Bellemont, 
Superior of the Seminary of Saint Sulpice, at Montreal. Having 
asked from him the accustomed suffrages for the deceased, for the 
sake of the intercourse of prayers which we have among us, he 
replied to me, by using those well known words of St. Augustine, 
that it was doing an injury to a martyr to pray for him. " Inju- 
riam facit martyri qui orat pro eo." 

May it please the Lord, that his blood shed for so just a cause, 



DEATH OF FATHER RASLES. 77 

may enrich these heathen lands, so often watered by the blood of 
the Evangelical laborers who have preceded us ; that it may 
render them fertile in earnest Christians, and that it may ani- 
mate the zeal of apostolical men to come and reap the abundant 
harvest which is offered by so many people still shrouded in the 
shadow of death. 

Nevertheless, as it appertains only to the church to declare the 
names of the saints, I recommend him to your holy sacrifices, 
and to those of all the Fathers. And I pray you not to forget 
him who is with much respect, &c. 



[We cannot conclude this letter without quoting from Dr. Convers 
Francis' Life of Rale — to which we have been indebted for many of these 
notes — a couple of passages, describing the present appearance of the spot 
on which this tragedy took place. " Whoever has visited the pleasant town 
of Norridgwock, as it now is, must have heard of Indian Old Pointy as the 
people call the place where Rale's village stood, and perhaps curiosity may 
have carried him thither. If so, he has found a lovely, sequestered spot in 
the depth of nature's stillness, on a point around which the waters of the 
Kennebec, not far from their confluence with those of Sandy River, sweep on 
in their beautiful course, as if to the music of the rapids above ; a spot over 
which the sad memory of the past, without its passions, will throw a charm, 
and on which, he will believe, the ceaseless worship of natui*e might blend 
itself with the aspirations of Christian devotion. He will find, that vestiges 
of the old settlement are not wanting now ; that broken utensils, glass beads, 
and hatchets, have been turned up by the husbandman's plough, and are pre- 
served by the people in the neighborhood ; and he will turn away from the 
place with the feeling, that the hatef ulness of the mad spirit of Avar is aggra- 
vated by such a connection with nature's sweet retirements." — p. 321. 

" The spot on which the Norridgwock missionary fell, was marked, some 
time after his death, by the erection of a cross. This, it is said, in process 
of time, was cu^ down by a company of hunters. I believe it was replaced 
by some rude memorial in stone. But in 1833 a permanent monument was 

erected iu honor of Rale An acre of land was purchased, including 

the site of Rale's church and his grave. Over the grave, on the 23d of 



78 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

August, 1833, the anniversary (according to tlie New Style) of the fight at 
Norridgwock, and just one hundred and nine years after its occurrence, the 
foundation was laid, and the monument raised, with much ceremony, amidst 
a large concourse of people. Bishop Fenwick, of Boston, directed the cere- 
monies, and delivered an address full of appropriate interest. Delegates 
from the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, and Canada Indians, were present on 
the occasion. The monument is about twenty feet high, including an iron 
cross, with which it is surmounted. On the south side of the base, fronting 
the Kennebec River, is an appropriate and somewhat long Latin inscrip- 
tion."— p. 329.] 



CATHERINE, THE IROQUOIS SAINT, 



1656—1715. 



LETTER IV, 



FROM FATHER CHOLONEC, MISSIONARY OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS, 

TO FATHER AUGUSTIN LE BLANC OF THE SAME SOCIETY, 

PROCURATOR OF MISSIONS IN CANADA. 



At Sault de St. Louis, the 27th of August, 1715. 
MY REVEREND FATHER, 

The Peace of our Lord be ivith you : 

The marvels which God is working every day through the 
intercession of a young Iroquois female who has lived and died 
among us in the order of sanctity, have induced me to inform 
you of the particulars of her life, although you have not pressed 
me in your letters to enter into detail. You have yourself been 
a witness of these marvels, when you discharged there with so 
much zeal the duties of a Missionary, and you know that the high 
Prelate who governs this church, touched by the prodigies with 
which God has deigned to honor the memory of this holy maiden, 
has with reason called her the Genevieve of New France. All 
the French who are in the colonies, as well as the Indians, hold 
her in singular veneration. They come from a great distance to 
pray at her tomb, and many, by her intercession, have been im- 
mediately cured of their maladies, and have received from Hea- 
ven other extraordinary favors. I will write you nothing, my 
Reverend Father, which I have not myself seen during the time 
she was under my care, or which I have not learned of the 
Missionary who conferred on her the rite of holy Baptism. 

Tegahkouita, (which is the name of this sainted female about 



82 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

whom I am going to inform you,) was born in the year 1656, at 
Gandaouague, one of the settlements of the lower Iroquois, who 
are called Agniez. Her father was an Iroquois and a heathen ; 
her mother, who was a Christian, was an Algonquin, and had 
been baptized at the village of Trois Rivieres, where she was 
brought up among the French. During the time that we were 
at war with the Iroquois, she was taken prisoner by these In- 
dians, and remained a captive in their country. "We have since 
learned, that thus in the very bosom of heathenism, she pre- 
served her faith even to her death. By her marriage she had 
two children, one son and one daughter, the latter of whom is 
the subject of this narrative, but she had the pain to die without 
having been able to procure for them the grace of Baptism. The 
small-pox, which ravaged the Iroquois country, in a few days re- 
moved her husband, her son, and herself Tegahkouita was also 
attacked like the others, but she did not sink as they did under 
the violence of the disease. Thus, at the age of four years she 
found herself an orphan, under the care of her aunts, and in 
the power of an uncle who was the leading man in the settlement. 

The small-pox had injured her eyes, and this infirmity having 
rendered her incapable of enduring the glare of light, she remain- 
ed during whole days shut up in her wigwam. By degrees she 
began to love this seclusion, and at length that became her taste 
which she had at first endured only from necessity. This incli- 
nation for retirement, so contrary to the usual spirit of the young 
Iroquois, was the principal cause of her preserving her innocence 
of life while living in such scenes of corruption. 

When she was a little older, she occupied herself at home in 
rendering to her aunts all those services of which she was capa- 
ble, and which were in accordance with her sex. She ground the 
corn, went in search of water, and carried the wood ; for such, 
among these Indians, are the ordinary employments of females. 
The rest of her time she spent in the manufacture of little arti- 



CATHERINE, THE IROGIUOIS SAINT. S3 

cles, for which she possessed an extraordinary skill. By this 
means she avoided two rocks which would have been equally 
ftital to her innocence — idleness, so common there among her 
own sex, and which is the source of an infinite number of vices ; 
and the extreme passion they have to spend their time in gossip- 
ing visits, and to show themselves in public places where they 
can display their finery. For it is not necessary to believe that 
this kind of vanity is confined to civilized nations ; the females 
of our Indians, and especially the young girls, have a great taste 
for parading their ornaments, some of which they esteem very 
precious. Their finery consists of cloths which they buy of the 
Europeans, mantles of fur, and difi'erent kinds of shells, with 
which they cover themselves from head to foot. They have also 
bracelets, and collars, and pendants for the ears and bolts. They 
adorn even their moccasons, for these personal ornaments consti- 
tute all their riches, and it is in this way, by the difi'erent kinds 
of garments, that they mark their rank among themselves. 

The young Tegahkouita had naturally a distaste for all this 
finery which was appropriate to her sex, but she could not oppose 
the persons who stood to her in the place of father and mother, 
and to please them she had sometimes recourse to these vain 
ornaments. But after she became a Christian, she looked back 
upon it as a great sin, and expiated this compliance of which 
she had been guilty, by a severe penance and almost continual 
tears. 

M. de Thracy, having been sent by the government to bring 
to reason the Iroquois nations who laid waste our colonies, car- 
ried the war into their country and burned three villages of the 
Agniez. This expedition spread terror among the Indians, and 
they acceded to the terms of peace which were ofi'ered them. 
Their deputies were well received by the French, and a peace 
concluded to the advantage of both nations. 

We availed ourselves of this occasion, which seemed a favora- 



84 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

ble one, to send missionaries to tlie Iroquois. They had already 
gained some smattering of the Gospel, which had been preached 
to them by Father logues, and particularly those of Onnontague, 
among whom this Father had fixed his residence. It is well 
known that this Missionary received there that recompense of 
martyrdom which well befitted his zeal. The Indians at first 
held him in a severe captivity and mutilated his fingers, and it 
was only by a kind of miracle that he was able for a time to 
escape their fury. It seemed however that his blood was destined 
to be the seed of Christianity in that heathen laud, for having 
had the courage, in the following year, to return for the purpose 
of continuing his mission among these people who had treated 
him so inhumanly, he finished his apostolic career amid the tor- 
ments they forced him to endure.* The works of his two com- 
panions were crowned by the same kind of death, and it is 
without doubt to the blood of these first Apostles of the Iroquois 
nation, that we must ascribe the blessings which God poured out 

[* The History of Father Isaac logues is full of romantic interest. He 
was the first to carry the cross into Michigan and among the villages of the 
Mohawks. On his return fi-om the falls of St. Mary escorted by some Hu- 
ron braves, they were taken by a war party of the Mohawks. His companions 
were all put to death with the usual attendants of savage cruelty, but not 
beft)re logues had baptized two of them,, who were neophytes, with some 
drops of water he found clinging to the broad blade of an ear of Indian 
corn they had thrown to him. After suffering every cruelty and being 
obliged to run the gauntlet through three villages, he was in 1642 ransomed 
by the Dutch at Albany and set at liberty. He then sailed for France to 
obtain .permission from the Pope to celebrate the divine mysteries with his 
mutilated hands. The Pope granted his prayer, saying, " Indignum esset 
Christ! martyrum Christi non libere sanguinem." On his return to the Mo- 
hawks for the second time, he was at once received as a prisoner and con- 
demned to death as an enchanter. He approached the cabin where the 
death festival was kept, and as he entered, received the death blow. His 
head was hung upon the palisades of the village, and his body thrown into 
the Mohawk river. Bancroft, iii. 13S.] 



CATHERINE, THE IROdUOIS SAINT. 85 

on the zeal of those who succeeded them in this evangelical min- 
istry. 

The Father Fremin, the Father Bruyas, and the Father Pier- 
ron, who knew the language of the country, were chosen to 
accompany the Iroquois deputies, and on the part of the French 
to confirm the peace which had been granted them. They com- 
mitted also to the Missionaries the presents which the Governor 
made, that it might facilitate their entrance into these barbarous 
regions. They happened to arrive there at a time when these 
people are accustomed to plunge into all kinds of debauchery, 
and found no one therefore in a fit state to receive them. This 
unseasonable period however procured for the young Tegahkouita 
the advantage of knowing early those of whom God wished to 
make use, to conduct her to the highest degree of perfection. 
She was charged with the task of lodging the Missionaries, and 
attending to their wants. The modesty and sweetness with 
which she acquitted herself of this duty, touched her new guests, 
while she on her part was struck with their affable manners, their 
regularity in prayer, and the other exercises into which they di- 
vided the day. God even then disposed her to the grace of Bap- 
tism, which she would have requested, if the missionaries had 
remained longer in her village. 

The third day after their arrival they were sent for toTionnon- 
toqueriy where their reception was to take place : it was very pom- 
pous. Two of the missionaries established themselves in this 
village, while the third commenced a mission in the village of 
Oaneiout^ which is more than thirty leagues distant in the coun- 
try. The next year they formed a third mission at Amiontague, 
The fourth was established at Tsonnontouan^ and the fifth at the 
village of Goiogoen. The natives of the Agniez and the Tson- 
nontouans are very numerous, and separated in many diff'erent 
villages, which is the reason why they were obliged to increase 
the number of the missionaries. 



JESUITS IN AMERICA. 



At length Tcgahkouita became of a marriageable age, and licr 
relations were anxious to find a husband for her, because, accord- 
ing to the custom of the country, the game which the husband 
kills in the chase, is appropriated to the benefit of his wife and 
the other members of her family. But the young Iroquois Imd 
inclinations very much opposed to the designs of her relations. 
She had a great love of purity, even before she knew the excel- 
lence of this virtue, and anything which could soil it ever so lit- 
tle, impressed her with horror. When therefore they proposed to 
establish her in life, she excused herself under different pretexts, 
alleging above all her extreme youth, and the little inclination 
she had to enter into marriage. 

The relatives seemed to approve of these reasons ; but a little 
while after they resolved to betroth her, when she least expected 
it, and without even allowing her a choice in the person to whom 
she was to be united. They therefore east their eyes upon a 
young man whose alliance appeared desirable, and made the pro- 
position both to him and to the members of his family. The 
matter being settled on both sides, the young man in the evening 
entered the wigwam which was destined for him, and seated him- 
self near her. It is thus that marriages are made among the 
Indians ; and although these heathen extend their dissoluteness 
and licentiousness to the greatest excess, there is yet no nation 
which in public guards so scrupulously that outward decorum 
which is the attendant of perfect modesty. A young man would 
be forever dishonored, if he should stop to converse publicly with 
a young female. Whenever marriage is in agitation, the busi- 
ness is to be settled by the parents, and the parties most inter- 
ested are not even permitted to meet. It is sufi&cient that they 
are talking of the marriage of a young Indian with a young fe- 
male, to induce them with care to shun seeing and speaking with 
each other. When the parents on both sides have agreed, the 
young man comes by night to the wigwam of his future spousOj 



CATHERINE, THE IROaUOIS SAINT. 87 

and seats himself near her ; which is the same as declaring, that 
he takes her for his wife, and she takes him for her husband. 

Tegahkouita appeared utterly disconcerted when she saw the 
young man seated by her side. She at first blushed, and then 
rising abruptly, went forth indignantly from the wigwam ; nor 
would she re-enter until the young man left it. This firmness 
rendered her relatives outrageous. They considered that they 
had iu this way received an insult, and resolved that they would 
not be disappointed. They therefore attempted other stratagems, 
which served only to show more clearly the firmness of their 
niece. 

Artifice not having proved successful, they had recourse to 
violence. They now treated her as a slave, obliging her to do 
everything which was most painful and repulsive, and malignantly 
interpreting all her actions, even when most innocent. They re- 
proached her without ceasing for the want of attachment to her 
relations, her uncouth manners, and her stupidity, for it was thus 
that they termed the dislike she felt to marriage. They attri- 
buted it to a secret hatred of the Iroquois nation, because she 
was herself of the Algonquin race. In short, they omitted no 
means of shaking her constancy. 

The young girl suffered all this ill treatment with unwearied 
patience, and without ever losing anything of her equanimity of 
mind or her natural sweetness ; she rendered them all the ser- 
vices they required with an attention and docility beyond her 
years and strength. By degrees, her relatives were softened, 
restored to her their kind feelings, and did not further molest 
her in regard to the course she had adopted. 

At this very time Father Jacques de Lamberville was con 
ducted by Providence to the village of our young Iroquois, and 
received orders from his superiors to remain there, although it 
seemed most natural that lie should go on to join his brother, 
who had charge of the mission to the Iroquois of Onnontague. 



JESUITS IN AMERICA. 



Tegahkouita did not fail to be present at the instructiony and 
prayers which took place every day in the chapel, but she did not 
dare to disclose the design she had for a long time formed of be- 
coming a Christian ; perhaps, because she was restrained by fear 
of her uncle, in whose power she entirely was, and who, from in- 
terested motives, had joined in the opposition to the Christians ; 
perhaps, because modesty itself rendered her too timid, and pre- 
vented her from discovering her sentiments to the missionary. 

But, at length, the occasion of her declaring her desire for 
baptism presented itself, when she least expected it A wound 
which she had received in the foot detained her in the village, 
whilst the greater part of the women were in the fields gathering 
the harvest of Indian corn. The Missionary had selected this 
time to go his rounds, and instruct at his leisure those who were 
remaining in the wigwams. He entered that of Tegahkouita. 
This good girl on seeing him was not able to restrain her joy. 
She at once began to open her heart to him, even in presence of 
her companions, on the earnest desire she had to be admitted into 
the fold of the Christians. She disclosed also the obstacles she had 
been obliged to surmount on the part of her family, and in this first 
conversation showed a courage above her sex. The goodness of 
her temper, the vivacity of her spirit, her simplicity and candor, 
caused the Missionary to believe that one day she would make 
great progress in virtue. He therefore applied himself particu- 
larly to instruct her in the truths of Christianity, but did not 
think he ought to yield so soon to her entreaties : for the grace 
of Baptism should not be accorded to adults, and particularly in 
this country, but with great care and after a long probation. All 
the winter therefore was employed in her instruction and a rigid 
investigation of her manner of life. 

It is surprising, that notwithstanding the propensity these 
Indians have for slander, and particularly those of her own sex, 
the Missionary did not find any one but gave a high encomium 



CATHERINE, THE IROaUOIS SAINT. 89 

— — — — — ^ — — : , — 

to the young catechumen. Even those who had persecuted her 
most severely were not backward in giving their testimony to 
her virtue. He therefore did not hesitate any longer to adminis- 
ter to her the holy Baptism which she asked with so much godly 
earnestness. She received it on Easter Day in the year 1676, 
and was named Catherine, and it is thus that I shall call her in 
the rest of this letter. 

The only care of the young neophyte was now to fulfill the 
engagements she had contracted. She did not wish to restrict 
herself to the observance of common practices, for she felt that 
she was called to a more perfect life. Besides the public instruc- 
tions, at which she was present punctually, she requested also par- 
ticular ones for the regulation of her private and secret life. Her 
prayers, her devotions, and her penances were arranged with the 
utmost exactness, and she was so docile to form herself according 
to the plan of perfection which had been marked out for her, 
that in a little time she became a model of virtue. 

In this manner several months passed away very peaceably. 
Even her relations did not seem to disapprove of the new course 
of life which she was leading. But the Holy Spirit has warned 
us by the mouth of Wisdom, that the faithful soul which begins 
to unite itself to God, should prepare for temptation ; and this 
was verified in the case of Catherine. Her extraordinary virtue 
drew upon her the persecutions even of those who admired her. 
They looked upon a life so pure, as being a tacit reproach to 
their own irregularities, and with the design of discrediting it, 
they endeavored by divers artifices to throw a taint upon its 
purity. But the confidence which the neophyte had in God, 
the distrust she felt of herself, her constancy in prayer, and that 
delicacy of conscience which made her dread even the shadow of 
a sin, gave her a perfect victory over the enemies of her inno- 
cence. 

The exactness with which she observed the festival days at the 



DO JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

GTiapel, was the cause of another storm which came ujDon her on. 
the part of her relations. The chaplet recited by two choirs is 
an exercise of these holy days ; this kind of psalmody awakens 
the attention of the neophytes and animates their devotions. 
They execute the hymns and sacred canticles which our Indians 
chant, with much exactness and harmony, for they have a fine 
ear, a good voice, and a rare taste for music. Catherine never 
omitted this exercise. But they took it ill in the wigwam that 
on these days she abstained from going to work with the others 
in the field. At length, they came to bitter words, cast upon her 
the reproach, that Christianity had made her efi"eminat^ and ac- 
customed her to an indolent life ; they did not even allow her 
anything to eat, to oblige her, by means of famine, to follow her 
relations and to aid in their labor. The neophyte bore with con- 
stancy their reproach and contempt, and preferred in those days 
to do without nourishment, rather than violate the law which re- 
quired the observance of these festivals, or to omit these ordinary 
practices of piety. 

This firmness, which nothing could shake, irritated more and 
more her heathen relatives. Whenever she went to the Chapel 
they caused her to be followed with showers of stones by drunken 
people, or those who feigned to be so, so that, to avoid their in- 
sults, she was often obliged to take the most circuitous paths. 
This extended even to the children, who pointed their fingers at 
her, cried after her, and in derision called her " the Christian." 
One day, when she had retired to her wigwam, a young man en- 
tered abruptly, his eyes sparkling with rage, and a hatchet in his 
hand, which he raised as if to strike her. Perhaps he had no 
other design than to frighten her. But whatever might have 
been the Indian's intentions, Catherine contented herself with 
modestly bowing her head, without showing the least emotion. 
This intrepidity, so little expected, astonished the Indian to such 



CATHERINE, THE IROaUOIS SAINT. 91 

a degree, that he immediately took to flight, as if he had been 
himself terrified by some invisible power. 

It was in such trials of her patience and piety that Catherine 
spent the summer and autumn which followed her baptism. The 
winter brought her a little more tranquillity, but nevertheless, 
she was not freed from suffering some crosses on the part of one 
of her aunts. This woman, who was of a deceitful and dangerous ' 
spirit, could not endure the regular life of her niece, and there- 
fore constantly condemned her, even in actions and words the 
most indifferent. It is a custom among these Indians, that un- 
cles give the name of daughters to their nieces, and the nieces 
reciprocally call their uncles by the name of father. Hence it 
happens, that eousin-germans are commonly called brothers. It 
happened, however, once or twice, that Catherine called the hus- 
band of her aunt by his proper name, and not by that of father : 
but it was entirely owing to mistake or want of thought. Yet 
this evil spirit did not need any thing farther as the foundation 
on which to build up a most atrocious calumny. She pretended 
to believe, that this manner of expressing herself, which seemed 
to her so familiar, was an evidence of criminal intimacy, and im- 
mediately went to seek the missionary, to decry her to him. and 
destroy in his mind those sentiments of esteem which he had al- 
ways entertained for the neophyte. " Well !" she said, at once, 
" so Catherine whom you esteem so virtuous, is notwithstanding 
a hypocrite who deceives you. Even in my presence she solicited 
my husband to sin." The missionary, who understood the evil 
spirit of this woman, wished to know on what she founded an ac- 
cusation of this kind, and having learned what had given occa- 
sion to this odious suspicion, he administered to her a severe re- 
primand, and sent her away utterly confounded. When he after- 
wards mentioned it to the neophyte, she answered him with a 
candor and confidence which showed the absence of all fjilsehood. 
It was on this occasion that she declared, what perhaps we should 



92 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

not have known if she had not been placed on this trial, that by 
the kindness of the Lord she could not remember that she had 
ever stained the purity of her person, and that she did not fear 
receiving any reproach on this point in the day of judgment. 

It was sad for Catherine to have to sustain so many conflicts, 
and to see her innocence exposed without cessation to the out- 
rages and railleries of her countrywomen. And in other respects 
she had everything to fear in a country where so few of the peo- 
ple had imbibed a taste for the maxims of the Grospel. She, 
therefore, earnestly desired to be transplanted to some other 
mission where she might serve God in peace and liberty. This 
was the subject of her most fervent prayers, and it was also the 
advice of the missionary, but it was not easy to bring about. She 
was entirely in the power of an uncle, watchful of all her actions, 
and through the aversion he had for Christians, incapable of ap- 
preciating her resolution. But Grod who listens favorably even 
to the simple desires of those who place their trust in Him, dis- 
posed all things for the repose and consolation of the neophyte. 

A colony of Iroquois had lately been formed among the French, 
the peace which existed between the two nations having given 
these Indians an opportunity of coming to hunt on our lands. 
Many of them stopped near the prairie of the Madeleine, where 
the missionaries of our society who dwelt there met them, and at 
different times conversed with them on the necessity of salvation. 
Grod at the same time influencing their hearts by the impressions 
of his grace, these Indians found themselves suddenly changed, 
and listened without objection to the proposition that they should 
renounce their country and settle among us. They received 
baptism after the usual instructions and probation. 

The example and devotion of these new converts drew to them 
many of their countrymen, and in a few years the Mission of 
St. Francis Xavier du Sault, (for it was thus that it was named,) 
became celebrated for the great number of its neophytes and their 



CATHERINE, THE IROaUOIS SAINT. 93 

extraordinary fervor. If an Iroquois had made these a visit, 
ever so short, even though he had no other design but to see his 
relatives or friends, he seemed to lose entirely the desire to re- 
turn to his own country. The charity of these neophytes led 
them even to divide with the new comers, the fields which they 
had cleared with much labor : but the way in which this feeling 
appeared to the greatest advantage was, in the eagerness they 
showed in instructing them in the truths of our faith. To this 
work they devoted entire days and even a portion of the night. 
Their conversations, full of unction and piety, made the most 
lively impression on the hearts of theii' guests, and transformed 
them, so to speak, into different beings. He who a little while 
before bi'eathed of nothing but blood and war, became, softened, 
humble, teachable, and ready to obey the most difficult maxims 
of our religion. 

This zeal did not restrict itself to those who came to visit 
them, but induced them also to make excursions into the differ- 
ent settlements of their nation, and they always returned accom- 
panied by a large number of their countrymen. On the very 
day that Catherine received Baptism, one of the most powerful 
of the Agiiiez returned to the mission in company with thirty of 
the Iroquois of that tribe whom he had gained to Jesus Christ. 
The neophyte would very willingly have followed him, but she 
depended, as I have said before, on an uncle who did not see with- 
out sorrow the depopulation of his village, and who openly de- 
clared himself the enemy of those who thought of going to live 
among the French. 

It was not until the following year that she obtained the facil- 
ities she wished for the execution of her design. She had an 
adopted sister who had retired with her husband to the Mission 
du Sault. The zeal of the recent converts to draw their relatives 
and friends to the new colony, inspired her with the same thoughts 
with regard to Catherine, and disclosing her designs to her hus- 



94 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

band, lie gave his consent. He joined himself therefore to an 
Indian of Loretto and some other neophytes, who under cover 
of going to trade in beaver-skins with the English, travelled to 
the villages of the Iroquois, with the intention of engaging their 
acquaintances- to follow them, and to share in the blessings of their 
conversion. 

With difficulty he reached the village in which Catherine lived, 
and informed her secretly of the object of his journey, and the 
desire his wife felt that she should be with her at the Mission du 
Sault, whose praise he set forth in a few words. As the neo- 
phyte appeared transported with joy at this disclosure, he warned 
her to hold herself in readiness to depart immediately on his re- 
turn from his journey to the English, which he would not have 
made except to avoid giving umbrage to his uncle. This uncle 
was then absent, without having any suspicion of his niece's de- 
sign. Catherine went immediately to take leave of the mission- 
ary, and to ask his recommendation to the Fathers who were over 
the Mission du Sault. The missionary on his part, while he 
could not withhold his approval of the resolution of the neophyte, 
exhorted her to place her trust in God, and gave her those coun' 
sels which he judged necessary in the present juncture. 

As the journey of her brother-in-law was only a pretext the 
better to conceal his design, he almost immediately returned to 
the village, and the day after his arrival, departed with Catherine 
and the Indian of Loretto who had kept him company. It was 
not long before it was discovered in the village that the neophyte 
had disappeared, and they had no doubt but that she had fol- 
lowed the two Indians. They immediately therefore despatched 
a runner to her uncle to give him the news. The old chief, 
jealous of the increase of his nation, foamed with rage at the in- 
telligence, and immediately charging his gun with three balls, he 
went in pursuit of those who had accompanied his niece. He 
made such haste that in a very short time he came up with them. 



CATPIERINE, THE IROaUOIS SAINT. 95 

The two Indians, who had known beforehand that he would not 
fail to pursue them, had concealed the neophyte in a thick wood, 
and had stopped as if to take a little repose. The old man was 
very much astonished at not finding his niece with them, and 
after a moment's conversation, coming to the conclusion that he 
had credited too easily the first rumor which had been spread, he 
retraced his footsteps to the village. Catherine regarded this 
sudden retreat of her uncle as one eff'ect of the protection of 
God which she enjoyed, and continuing her route she arrived 
at the Mission du Sault, in the end of autumn of the year 1677. 

She took up her abode with the family of her brother-in-law. 
The cabin belonged to one of the most fervent Christians in the 
place, named Anastasia, whose care it was to instruct those of 
her own sex who aspired to the grace of baptism. The zeal with 
which she discharged her duty in this employment, her conver- 
sations, and her example, charmed Catherine. But what edified 
her exceedingly was the piety of all the converts who composed 
this numerous mission. Above all, she was struck with seeing 
men become so different from what they were when they lived in 
their own country. She compared their exemplary life with the 
licentious course they had been accustomed to lead, and recog- 
nizing the hand of God in so extraordinary a change, she cease- 
lessly thanked Him for having conducted her into this land of 
blessings. 

To make a suitable return for these favors from Heaven, she 
felt that she ought to give herself up entirely to God, without 
having any reserve, or permitting any thought of herself The 
consecrated place became, thenceforth, all her delight. She re- 
paired thither at four o'clock in the morning, attended the Mass 
at the dawn of day, and- afterwards assisted at that of the In- 
dians, which was said at sunrise. During the course of the day 
she from time to time broke off from her work to go and hold 
communion with Jesus Christ at the foot of the altar. In the 



96 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

evening she returned again to the church, and did not leave it 
until the night was far advanced. When engaged in her prayers, 
she seemed entirely unconscious of what was passing without, 
and in a short time the Holy Spirit raised her to so sublime a 
devotion, that she often spent many hours in intimate communion 
with Grod. 

To this inclination for prayer, she joined an almost unceasing 
application to labor. She sustained herself in her toils by the 
pious conversations which she held with Anastasia, that fervent 
Christian of whom I have already spoken, and with whom she 
had formed a most intimate friendship. The topics on which 
they most generally talked were, the delight they received in the 
service of God, the means of pleasing him and advancing in 
virtue, the peculiar traits seen in the lives of the saints, the 
horror they should have of sin, and the care with which they 
should expiate by penitence those they had the misfortune to 
commit. She always ended the week by an exact investigation 
of her faults and imperfections, that she might efface them by 
the sacrament of penance, which she underwent every Saturday 
evening. For this she prepared herself by different mortifica- 
tions with which she afflicted her body, and when she accused 
herself of faults even the most light, it was with such vivid feel- 
ings of compunction, that she shed tears and her words were 
choked by sighs and sobbings. The lofty idea she had of the 
majesty of G-od made her regard the least offence with horror, 
and when any had escaped her, she seemed not able to pardon 
herself for its commission. 

Virtues so marked did not permit me for a very long time to 
refuse her the permission which she so earnestly desired, that on 
the approaching festival of Christmas she should receive her first 
communion. This is a privilege which is not accorded to those 
who come to reside among the Iroquois, until after some years of 
probation and many trials ; but the piety of Catherine placed her 



CATHERINE, THE IROaUOIS SAINT. 97 

beyond the ordinary rules. She participated, for the first time 
in her life, in the holy Eucharist, with a degree of fervor propor- 
tioned to the reverence she had for this grace, and the earnest- 
ness with which she had desired to obtain it. And on every 
subsequent occasion on which she approached the holy sacrament, 
it was always with the same disposition. Her manner alone in- 
spired the most lukewarm with devotion, and when a general 
communion was about to take place, the most virtuous neophytes 
endeavored with emulation to be near her, because, said they, the 
sight alone of Catherine served them for an excellent preparation 
for communing worthily. 

After the festival of Christmas, it being the proper season for 
the chase, she was not able to excuse herself from following her 
Bister and brother-in-law into the forests. She then made it 
apparent, that one is able to serve God in all places where his 
providence calls him. She did not relax any of her ordinary 
exercises, while her piety even suggested to her holy practices to 
substitute in place of those which were incompatible with a resi- 
dence in the forests. There was a time set apart for every thing. 
In the morning she applied herself to her prayers, and concluded 
with those which the Indians make in common according to their 
custom, and in the evening she renewed them again, continuing 
until the night was far advanced. While the Indians were par- 
taking of their repast to prepare themselves to endure the chase 
through the whole day, she retired to some secret place to offer 
up her devotions ; as this was a little before the time when they 
were accustomed to hear Mass at the Mission. She had fixed a 
cross in the trunk of a tree which she found by the side of a 
stream, and this solitary spot was her oratory. There, she placed 
herself in spirit at the foot of the altar, she united her soul with 
that of the priest, she prayed her guardian angel to be present 
for her at that holy sacrifice, and to apply to her its benefits. 
The rest of the day she spent in laboring with the others of her 

6 



98 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

sex, but to banish all frivolous discourse and preserve her union 
with Grod, she always introduced some religious conversation, or 
perhaps invited them to sing hymns or anthems in praise of their 
Lord. Her repasts were very simple, and often she did not eat 
till the end of the day. At other times, she secretly mixed ashes 
with the food provided for her, to deprive it of everything which 
might afford pleasure to the taste. This is a self-mortification 
which she always practised, when she could do so without being 
seen. 

This sojourn in the forests was not very agreeable to Catherine, 
although generally pleasant to the Indian women, because, freed 
from domestic cares, they pass their time in amusements and 
feasting. She longed without ceasing for the time to arrive, when 
they are accustomed to return to the village. The Church, the 
presence of Jesus Christ in the august Sacrament of the Altar, 
the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the frequent exhortations, and the 
other exercises of the Mission, of which she was deprived while 
engaged in the chase — these were the only objects which inter- 
ested her. She had no taste for anything else. She therefore 
formed the determination, that if she lived to return once more to 
the Mission, she would never again leave it. She arrived there 
near the time of Passion Week, and for the first time assisted 
in the ceremonies of those holy days. 

I shall not stop, my Reverend Father, to describe to you here 
how deeply she was affected by a spectacle so touching as that of 
the sorrows and death of a God for the safety of men. She shed 
tears almost continually, and formed the resolution to bear, for 
the rest of her days, in her own body, the Cross of Jesus Christ. 
From that time she sought all occasions of self-mortification, 
perhaps to expiate those light faults which she regarded as so 
many outrages against the Divine Majesty, perhaps to trace in 
her the image of a God crucified for love of us. The conversa- 
tions of Anastasia, who often talked with her of the pains of Hell, 



99 

and the severity which the saints exercised upon thcmselveSj 
strengthened the desire she had for the austerities of penance. 
She found herself also animated to this course by an accident 
which placed her in great danger of losing her life. She was 
cutting a tree in the woods, which fell sooner than she expected ; 
she had sufficient time, by drawing back, to shun the body of the 
tree, which would have crushed her by its fall ; but she was not 
able to escape from one of the branches, which struck her vio- 
lently on the head, and threw her senseless to the ground. She 
shortly afterwards recovered from her swoon, and those around 
heard her softly ejaculating, " I thank thee, good Jesus, for 
having succored me in this danger." She did not doubt but that 
God had preserved her to give her time to expiate her sins by 
repentance. This she declared to a companion, who felt herself 
called, like Catherine, to a life of austerity, and with whom she 
was in so close an intimacy that they communicated to each other 
the most secret things which took place in their innermost souls. 
This new association had indeed so much influence on the life of 
Catherine, that I cannot refrain from speaking of it. 

Therese (it is thus that she was named) had been baptized by 
Father Bruyas in the Iro(][uois country ; but the licentiousness 
which prevailed among her people, and the evil example she 
always had before her eyes, caused her shortly to forget the vows 
of her baptism. Even a sojourn which she made after some time 
at the Mission, where she had come to live with his family, only 
produced a partial change in her life. A most strange adven- 
ture, however, which happened to her, operated at last to her 
conversion. 

She had gone with her husband and a young nephew to the 
chase, near the river of the Outaouacks. On their way some 
other Indians joined them, and they made a company of eleven 
persons, that is, four men and four women, with three young 
persons. Therese was the only Christian. The snow, which this 



100 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

year fell very late, prevented them from having any success in 
hunting, their provisions were in a short time consumed, and they 
were reduced to eat some skins, which they had brought with 
them to make moccasons. At length they eat the moccasons 
themselves, and finally, pressed hy hunger, were obliged to sus- 
tain their lives principally by herbs and the bark of trees. In 
the meantime the husband of Therese fell dangerously ill, and 
the hunters were obliged to halt. Two among them, an Agni4 
and a 2 sonnontorian, asked leave of the party to make an excur- 
sion to some distance in search of game, promising to return at 
the farthest in ten days. The Agnie, indeed, returned at the 
time appointed, but he came alone, and reported that the Tson- 
nontouan had perished by famine and misery. They suspected 
him of having murdered his companion, and then fed upon his 
flesh ; for, although he declared that he had not found any game, 
he was nevertheless in full strength and health. A few days 
afterwards the husband of Therese died, experiencing in his last 
moments deep regret that he had not received baptism. The 
remainder of the company then resumed their journey, to attempt 
to reach the bank of the river and gain the French settlements. 
After two or three days' march, they became so enfeebled by 
want of nourishment, that they were not able to advance farther. 
Desperation then inspired them with a strange resolution, which 
was, to put some of their number to death, that the lives of the 
rest might be preserved. They, therefore, selected the wife of 
the Tsonnontouan and her two children, who were thus in succes- 
sion devoured. This spectacle terrified Therese, for she had good 
reason to fear the same treatment. Then she refiected on the 
deplorable state in which conscience told her she was; she re- 
pented bitterly that she had ever entered the forest without 
having first purified herself by a full confession ; she asked pardon 
of Grod for the disorders of her life, and "promised to confess as 
soon as possible and undergo penance. Her prayer was heard, 



CATHARINE, THE IROdUOIS SAINT. 101 

and after incredible fatigues, she readied the village with four 
others, who alone remained of the company. She did, indeed, 
fulfil one part of the promise, for she confessed herself soon after 
her return, but she was more backward to reform her life and 
subject herself to the rigors of penance. 

One day, while she was looking at the new Church they were 
building at the Sault, after they had removed thither the mis- 
sion which before had been at the prairie of the Madeleine, she 
met with Catharine, who was also inspecting it. They saluted 
each other for the first time, and entering into conversation, 
Catherine asked her, which portion of the Church was to be 
set apart for the females. Therese pointed out the place which 
she thought would be appropriated to them. " Alas !" answered 
Catherine, with a sigh, " it is not in this material temple that 
God most loves to dwell. It is within ourselves that He wishes 
to take up His abode. Our hearts are the Temple which is 
most agreeable to Him. But, miserable being that I am, how 
many times have I forced Him to abandon this heart in which 
He should reign alone! And do I not deserve, that to punish 
me for my ingratitude, they should forever exclude me from this 
temple which they are raising to His glory?" 

The humility of these sentiments deeply touched the heart of 
Therese. At the same time, she felt herself pressed by remorse 
of conscience to fulfil what she had promised to the Lord, and 
she did not doubt but that God had directed to her this holy fe- 
male, to support her by her counsels and example in the new 
kind of life she wished to embrace. She therefore opened her 
heart to Catherine on the holy desires with which God had in- 
spired her, and insensibly the conversation led them to disclose 
to each other their most secret thoughts. To converse with 
greater ease they went and sat at the foot of a cross which was 
erected on the banks of the River St. Lawrence. This first in- 
terview, which revealed the uniformity of their sentiments and 



102 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

inclinations, began to strengthen the bonds of a holy friendship 
which lasted even to the death of Catherine. From this time 
they were inseparable. They went together to the Church, to 
the forest, and to their daily labor. They animated each other to 
the service of God by their religious conversations — they mu- 
tually communicated their pains and dislikes — they disclosed 
their faults — they encouraged each other to the practice of aus- 
tere virtues — and thus were mutually of infinite service in ad- 
vancing more and more in their views of perfection. 

It was thus that God prepared Catherine for a new contest 
which her love of celibacy obliged her to undergo. Interested 
views inspired her sister with the design of marrying her. She 
supposed there was not k young man then in the Mission du 
Saultj who would not be ambitious of the honor of being united to 
so virtuous a female, and that thus having the whole village from 
which to make her choice, she would be able to select for her 
brother-in-law some able hunter who would bring abundance to 
the cabin. She expected indeed to meet with difficulties on the 
part of Catherine, for she she was not ignorant of the persecu- 
tions this generous girl had already sufi"ered, and the constancy 
with which she had sustained them, but she persuaded herself 
that the force of reason would finally vanquish her opposition. 
She selected therefore a particular day, and after having shown 
Catherine even more affection than ordinary, she addressed her 
with that eloquence which is natural to these Indians, when they 
are engaged in anything which concerns their interests. 

" I must confess, my dear sister," said she, with a manner 
full of sweetness and affability, "you are under great obliga- 
tions to the Lord for having brought you, as well as ourselves, 
from our unhappy country, and for having conducted you to the 
Mission du Sault, where everything is favorable to your piety. 
If you are rejoiced to be here, I have no less satisfaction at hav- 
ing you with me. You every day indeed increase our pleasure 



CATHERINE, THE IROGtUOIS SAINT. 103 

by the wisdom of your conduct, which draws upon you general 
esteem and approbation. There only remains one thing for you 
to do to complete our happiness, which is to think seriously of 
establishing yourself by a good and judicious marriage. All the 
young girls among us take this course ; you are of an age to act 
as they do, and you are bound to do so even more particularly 
than others, either to shun the occasions of sin, or to supply the 
necessities of life. It is true that it is a source of great plea- 
sure to us. both to your brother-in-law and myself, to furnish 
these things for you, but you know that he is in the decline of 
life, and that we are charged with the care of a large family. If 
you were to be deprived of us, to whom could you have recourse ? 
Think of these things, Catherine ; provide for yourself a refuge 
from the evils which accompany poverty ; and determine as soon 
as possible to prepare to avoid them, while you can do it so 
easily, and in a way so advantageous both to yourself and to our 
family." 

There was nothing which Catherine less expected than a pro- 
position of this kind, but the kindness and respect she felt for 
her sister induced her to conceal her pain, and she contented 
herself with merely answering, that she thanked her for this ad- 
vice, but the step was of great consequence and she would think 
of it seriously. It was thus that she warded off the first attack. 
She immediately came to seek me, to complain bitterly of these 
importunate solicitations of her sister. As I did not appear to 
accede entirely to her reasoning, and, for the purpose of proving 
her, dwelt on those considerations which ought to incline her to 
marriage, " Ah, my father," said she, " I am not any longer my 
own. I have given myself entirely to Jesus Christ, and it is not 
possible for me to change masters. The poverty with which I 
am threatened gives me no uneasiness. So little is requisite to 
supply the necessities of this wretched life, that my labor can 
furnish this, and I can always find some miserable rags to cover 



104 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

me." I sent her away, saying, that she should think well on the 
subject, for it was one which merited the most serious atten- 
tion. 

Scarcely had she returned to the cabin, when her sister, im- 
patient to bring her over to her views, pressed her anew to 
end her wavering by forming an advantageous settlement. But 
finding from the reply of Catherine, that it was useless to attempt 
to change her mind, she determined to enlist Anastasia in her in- 
terests, since they both regarded her as their mother. In this 
she was successful. Anastasia was readily induced to believe 
that Catherine had too hastily formed her resolution, and there- 
fore employed all that influence which age and virtue gave her 
over the mind of the young girl, to persuade her that marriage 
was the only part she ought to take. 

This measure however, had no greater success than the other. 
and Anastasia, who had always until that time found so much 
docility in Catherine, was extremely surprised at the little defer- 
ence she paid to her counsels. She even bitterly reproached her, 
and threatened to bring her complaints to me. Catherine antici- 
pated her in this, and after having related the pains they forced 
her to suffer to induce her to adopt a course so little to her taste, 
she prayed me to aid her in consummating the sacrifice she wish- 
ed to make of herself to Jesus Christ, and to provide her a refuge 
from the opposition she had to undergo from Anastasia and her 
sister. I praised her design, but at the same time advised her to 
take yet three days to deliberate on an affair of such importance, 
and during that time to offer up extraordinary prayers that she 
might be better taught the will of God ; after which, if she still 
persisted in her resolution, I promised her to put an end to the 
importunities of her relatives. She at first acquiesced in what I 
proposed, but in less than a quarter of an hour came back to seek 
me. '' It is settled," said she, as she came near me ; " it is not a 
question for deliberation ; my part has long since been taken. No, 



CATHERINE, THE IROaUOIS SAINT. 105 

my Father, I can have no other spouse but Jesus Christ." I 
thought that it would be wrong for me any longer to oppose a 
resolution which seemed to me inspired by the Holy Spirit, and 
therefore exhorted her to perseverance, assuring her that I would 
undertake her defence against those who wished henceforth to 
disturb her on that subject. This answer restored her former 
tranquillity of mind, and reestablished in her soul that inward 
peace which she preserved even to the end of her life. 

Scarcely had she gone, when Anastasia came to complain in 
her turn, that Catherine would not listen to any advice, but fol- 
lowed only her own whims. She was running on in this strain, 
when I interrupted her by saying that I was acquainted with the 
cause of her dissatisfaction, but was astonished that a Christian 
as old as she was, could disapprove of an action which merited 
the highest praise, and that if she had faith, she ought to know 
the value of a state so sublime as that of celibacy, which rendered 
feeble men like to the angels themselves. At these words Anas- 
tasia seemed to be in a perfect dream, and as she possessed a 
deeply seated devotion of spirit, she almost immediately began to 
turn the blame upon herself ; she admired the courage of this vir- 
tuous girl, and at length became the foremost to fortify her in 
the holy resolution she had taken. It was thus that G-od turned 
these different contradictions to be a benefit to his servant. And 
it also furnished Catherine with a new motive to serve God with 
greater fervor. She therefore added new practices to th.e ordi- 
nary exercises of piety. Feeble as she was, she redoubled her 
diligence in labor, her watchings, fastings, and other austerities. 

It was then the end of autumn, when the Indians are accus- 
tomed to form their parties to go out to hunt during the winter 
in the forests. The sojourn which Catherine had already made 
there, and the pain she had suffered at being deprived of the re- 
ligious privileges she possessed in the village, had induced her to 
form the resolution, as I have already mentioned, that she would 

6* 



106 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

never during her life return there. I thought however that the 
change of air, and the diet, which is so much better in the forest, 
would be able to restore her health, which was now very much im- 
paired. It was for this reason that I advised her to follow the 
family and others who went to the hunting grounds. She an- 
swered me in that deeply devotional manner which was so natu- 
ral to her, " It is true, my Father, that my body is served most 
luxuriously in the forest, but the soul languishes there, and is 
not able to satisfy its hunger. On the contrary, in the village 
the body suffers ; I am contented that it should be so, • but the 
.soul finds its delight in being near to Jesus Christ. Well then, 
I will willingly abandon this miserable body to hunger and suf- 
fering, provided that my soul may have its ordinary nourish- 
ment." 

She remained therefore during the winter in the village, where 
she lived only on Indian corn, and was subjected indeed to much 
suffering. But not content with allowing her body only this in- 
sipid food, which could scarcely sustain it, she subjected it also to 
austerities and excessive penances, without taking counsel of any 
one, persuading herself that while the object was self-mortifica- 
tion, she was right in giving herself up to everything which could 
increase her fervor. She was incited to these holy exercises by 
the noble examples of self-mortification which she always had be- 
fore her eyes. The spirit of penance reigned among the Chris- 
tians at the Sault. Fastings, discipline carried even unto blood, 
belts lined with points of iron — these were their most common 
austerities. And some of them, by these voluntary macerations, 
prepared themselves, when the time came, to suffer the most fear- 
ful torments. 

The war was once more rekindled between the French and the 
Iroquois, and the latter invited their countrymen who were at 
the Mission du Sault to return to their own country, where they 
promised them entire liberty in the exercise of their religion. 



1 



CATHERINE, THE IROaU^IS SAINT. 107 

The refusal with which these offers were met transported them 
with fury, and the Christian Indians who remained at the Sault 
were immediately declared enemies of their nation. A party of 
Iroquois surprised some of them while hunting, and carried them 
away to their country, where they were burned by a slow fire. 
But these noble and faithful men, even in the midst of the most 
excruciating torments, preached Jesus Christ to those who were 
torturing them so cruelly, and conjured them, as soon as possible, 
to embrace Christianity, to deliver themselves from eternal fires. 
One in particular among them, named Etienne, signalized his 
constancy and faith. When environed by the burning flames, he 
did not cease to encourage his wife, who was suffering the same 
torture, to invoke with him the holy name of Jesus. Being on 
the point of expiring, he rallied all his strength, and in imitation 
of his Master, prayed the Lord with a loud voice for the conver- 
sion of those who had treated him with such inhumanity. Many 
of the savages, touched by a spectacle so new to them, abandoned 
their country and came to the Mission du Sault, to ask for bap- 
tism, and live there in accordance with the laws of the Gospel. 

The women were not behind their husbands in the ardor they 
showed for a life of penance. They even went to such extremes, 
that when it came to our knowledge, we were obliged to moderate 
their zeal. Besides the ordinary instruments of mortification 
which they employed, they had a thousand new inventions to in- 
flict suffering upon themselves. Some placed themselves in the 
snow when the cold was most severe ; others stripped themselves 
to the waist in retired places, and remained a long time exposed 
to the rigor of the season, on the banks of a frozen river, and 
wbere the wind was blowing with violence. There were even 
those who, after having broken the ice in the ponds, plunged 
themselves in up to the neck, and remained there as long as it 
was necessary for them to recite many times the ten beads of 
their rosary. One of them did this three nights in succession ; 



108 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

and it was the cause of so violent a fever, that it was thought she 
would have died of it. Another one surprised me extremely by 
her simplicity. I learned that, not content with having herself 
used this mortification, she had also plunged her daughter, but 
three years old, into the frozen river, from which she drew her 
out half dead. "When I sharply reproached her indiscretion, she 
answered me with a surprising naivete^ that she did not think 
she was doing anything wrong, but that knowing her daughter 
would one day certainly offend the Lord, she had wished to im- 
pose on her in advance the pain which her sin merited. 

Although those who inflicted these mortifications on themselves 
were particular to conceal them from the knowledge of the pub- 
lic, yet Catherine, who had a mind quick and penetrating, did 
not fail from various appearances to conjecture that which they 
held so secret, and as she studied every means to testify more 
and more her love to Jesus Christ, she applied herself to exam- 
ine everything that was done pleasing to the Lord, that she 
might herself immediately put it in practice. It was for this 
reason that while passing some days at Montreal, where for the 
first time she saw the nuns, she was so charmed with their mod- • 
esty and devotion, that she informed herself most thoroughly 
with regard to the manner in which these holy sisters lived, and 
the virtues which they practiced. Having learned that they 
were Christian virgins, who were consecrated to Grod by a vow of 
perpetual continence, she gave me no peace until I had granted 
her permission to make the same sacrifice of herself, not by a 
simple resolution to guard her virginity, such as she had already 
made, but by an irrevocable engagement which obliged her to 
belong to God without any recall. I would not, however, give 
my consent to this step until I had well proved her, and been 
anew convinced that it was the spirit of God acting in this excel- 
lent girl, which had thus inspired her with a design of which 
there had never been an example among the Indians. 



CATHERINE, THE IROaUOIS SAINT. 109 

For this great event she chose the day on which we celebrate 
the Festival of the Annunciation of the most holy Virgin. The 
moment after she had received our Lord in the holy Communion, 
she pronounced with admirable fervor the vow she had made of 
perpetual virginity. She then addressed the Holy Virgin, for 
whom she had a most tender devotion, praying her to present to 
her son the oblation of herself which she had just made ; after 
which she passed some hours at the foot of the altar in holy med- 
itation and in perfect union with God. 

From that time Catherine seemed to be entirely divorced from 
this world, and she aspired continually to Heaven, where she had 
fixed all her desires. She seemed even to taste in anticipation 
the sweetness of that heavenly state ; but her body was not suf- 
ficiently strong to sustain the weight of her austerities, and the 
constant effort of her spirit to maintain itself in the presence of 
God. She was at length seized with a violent illness, from which 
she never entirely recovered. There always remained an affec- 
tion of the stomach, accompanied by frequent vomiting, and a 
slow fever, which undermined her constitution by degrees, and 
threw her into a weakness which insensibly wasted her away. It 
was, however, evident that her soul acquired new strength in pro- 
portion as her body decayed. The nearer she approached the 
termination of her career, the more clearly she shone forth in all 
those virtues which she had practiced with so much edification. 
But I need not stop here to particularize them to you, except to 
mention a few of those which made the most impression and 
were the source and spring of all the others. 

She had a most tender love for God. Her only pleasure 
seemed to be, to keep herself in contemplation in his presence, 
to meditate on His majesty and mercy, to sing His praises, and 
continually to desire new ways of pleasing Him. It was princi- 
pally to prevent distraction from other thoughts that she so often 
withdrew into solitude. Anastasia and Therese were the only 



no JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

two Christians with whom she wished much to associate, because 
they talked most of Grod, and their conversations breathed no- 
thing but divine love. 

From thence arose the peculiar devotion she had for the Holy 
Eucharist and the Passion of our Saviour. These two mysteries 
of the love of the same Grod, concealed under the veil of the Eu- 
charist and His dying on the cross, ceaselessly occupied her 
spirit, and kindled in her heart the purest flames of love. Every 
day she was seen to pass whole hours at the foot of the altar, im- 
moveable as if transported beyond herself Her eyes often ex- 
plained the sentiments of her breast by the abundance of tears 
she shed, and in these tears she found so great delight that she 
was, as it were, insensible to the most severe cold of winter. 
Often seeing her benumbed with cold, I have sent her to the 
cabin to warm herself; she obeyed immediately, but the moment 
after returned to the Church, and continued there in long com- 
munion with Jesus Christ. 

To keep alive her devotion for the mystery of our Saviour's 
Passion, and to have it always present to her mind, she carried 
on her breast a little crucifix which I had given her. She often 
kissed it with feelings of the most tender compassion for the suf- 
fering Jesus, and with the most vivid remembrance of the bene- 
fits of our redemption. One day wishing particularly to honor 
Jesus Christ in this double mystery of His love, after having re- 
ceived the Holy Communion, she made a perpetual oblation of 
her soul to Jesus in the Eucharist, and of her body to Jesus at- 
tached to the cross ; and thenceforth, she was ingenious to im- 
agine every day new ways of afflicting and crucifying her flesh. 

During the winter, while she was in the forest with her com- 
panions, she would follow them at a distance, taking off her shoes 
and walking with her naked feet over the ice and snow. Having 
heard Anastasia say, that of all torments that of fire was the most 
frightful, and that the constancy of the martyrs who had suffered 



THE IROaUOIS SAINT. Ill 



this torture would be a great merit with the Lord, the following 
night she burned her feet and limbs with a hot brand, very much 
in the same way that the Indians mark their slaves, persuading 
herself that by this action she had declared herself the slave of 
her Saviour. At another time she strewed the mat on which she 
slept with large thorns, the points of which were very sharp, and 
after the example of the holy and thrice happy Saint Louis de 
Gonzague, she rolled herself for three nights in succession on 
these thorns, which caused her the most intense -pain. In conse- 
quence of these things her countenance was entirely wasted and 
pale, which those around her attributed to illness. But Therese, 
the companion whom she had taken so much into her confidence, 
having discovered the reason of this extraordinary paleness, 
aroused her scruples by declaring, that she might ofi'end God if 
she inflicted such austerities on herself without the permission of 
her Confessor. Catherine, who trembled at the very appearance 
of sin, came immediately to find me, to confess her fault and 
demand pardon of God. I blamed her indiscretion, and directed 
her to throw the thorns into the fire. She did so immediately, 
for she had an implicit submission to the judgment of those who 
directed her conscience, and enlightened as she was by that illu- 
mination with which God favored her, she never manifested the 
least attachment to her own will. 

Her patience was the proof of all her acquirements. In the 
midst of her continual infirmities, she always preserved a peace 
and serenity of spirit which charmed us. She never forgot her- 
self either to utter a complaint or give the slightest sign of impa- 
tience. During the last two months of her life her sufi'erings were 
extraordinary. She was- obliged to remain night and day in the 
same position, and the least movement caused her the most intense 
pain. But when these pains were felt with the greatest severity, 
then she seemed most content, esteeming herself happy, as she 



112 JESUITS IIS AMERICA. 

herself said, to live and to die on the Cross, uniting her sufferings 
to those of her Saviour. 

As she was full of faith, she had a high idea of everything 
relating to religion, and this inspired her with a particular respect 
for those whom Grod called to the holy ministry. Her hope was 
firm, her love disinterested, serving God for the sake of Grod him- 
self, and influenced only by the desire to please Him. Her devo- 
tion was tender, even to tears, her communion with God intimate 
and uninterrupted, never losing sight of Him in all her actions, 
and it was this which raised her in so short a time to so sublime 
a state of piety. • 

In short, there was nothing more remarkable in Catherine than 
this angelical purity, of which she was so jealous, and which she 
preserved even to her latest breath. It was indeed a miracle of 
grace, that a young Iroquois should have had so strong an attach- 
ment to a virtue so little known in her own country, and that she 
should have lived in such innocence of life during twenty years 
that she remained in the very midst of licentiousness and disso- 
luteness. It was this love of purity which produced in her heart 
so tender an affection for the Queen of Virgins. Catherine could 
never speak of Our Lady but with transport. She had learned 
by heart her Litanies, and recited them all, particularly in the 
evening, after the common-prayers of the cabin. She always car- 
ried with her a rosary, which she recited many times in the 
course of the day. The Saturdays and other days which are par- 
ticularly consecrated to her honor, she devoted to extraordinary 
austerities, and devoted herself to the practical imitation of some 
of her virtues. She redoubled her fervor when they celebrated one 
of these Festivals, and she selected such holy days to offer to God 
some new sacrifice, or to renew those which she had already made. 

It was to be expected that so holy a life would be followed by 
a most happy death. And so it was in the last moments of her 
life, that she edified us most by the practice of her virtues, and 



CATHERINE, THE IROaUOIS SAINT. ll3 

above all by her patience and union with God. She found her- 
self very ill towards the time that the men are accustomed to go 
out to the hunting grounds in the forest, and when the females are 
occupied from morning even till evening in the fields. Those who 
are ill are therefore obliged to remain alone through the whole 
day in their cabins, a plate of Indian corn and a little water having 
in the morning been placed near their mat. It was in this aban- 
donment that Catherine passed all the time of her last illness. 
But what would have overwhelmed another person with sadness, 
contributed rather to increase her joy by furnishing her with 
something to increase her merit. Accustomed to commune alone 
with God, she turned this solitude to her profit, and made it 
serve to attach her more to her Creator by her prayers and fer- 
vent meditations. 

Nevertheless, the time of her last struggle approached and her 
strength each day diminished. She failed considerably during 
the Tuesday of Holy Week, and I therefore thought it well to 
administer to her the Holy Communion, which she recieved with 
her usual feelings of devotion. I wished also at the same time 
to give her Extreme Unction, but she told me there was as yet 
no pressing necessity,, and from what she said I thought I would 
defer it till the next morning. The rest of that day and the 
following night she passed in fervent communion with our Lord 
and the Holy Virgin. On Wednesday morning she received 
Extreme Unction with the same feelings of devotion, and at three 
hours after mid-day, after having pronounced the holy names of 
Jesus and Mary, a slight spasm came on, when she entirely lost 
the power of speech. As she preserved a perfect consciousness 
even to her last breath, I perceived that she was striving to per- 
form inwardly all the acts which I suggested to her. After a 
short half hour of agony, she peaceably expired, as if she was only 
falling into a sweet sleep. 

Thus died Catherine Tegahkouita in the twenty-fourth year 



114 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

of her age, having filled the Mission with the odor of her sanctity 
and the character of holiness which she left behind her. Her 
countenance, which had been extremely attenuated by the mala- 
dies and constant austerities, appeared so changed and pleasant 
some moments after her death, that the Indians who were pres 
ent were not able to restrain the expression of their astonish- 
ment, and declared, that a beam of that glory she had gone to 
possess was even reflected back on her body. Two Frenchmen 
who had come from the prairie of the Madeleine to assist in the 
services of Thursday morning, seeing her extended on her mat 
with her countenance so fresh and sweet, said one to the other, 
" See how peaceably that young female sleeps !" But they were 
very much surprised when they learned a moment after, that it 
was the body of Catherine who had just expired. They immedi- 
ately retraced their steps, and casting themselves on their knees 
at her feet, recommended themselves to her prayers. They even 
wished to give a public evidence of the veneration they had for 
the deceased, by immediately assisting to make the coffin which 
was to enclose those holy relics. 

I make use of this expression, my Reverend Father, with the 
greater confidence, because Grod did not delay to honor the memory 
of this virtuous girl by an infinite number of miraculous cufes, 
which took place after her death, and which still continue to 
take place daily through her intercession. This is a fact well 
known, not only to the Indians, but also to the French at Quebec 
and Montreal, who often make pilgrimages to her tomb to fulfil 
their vows, or to return thanks for favors which she has obtained 
for them in Heaven. I could here relate to you a great number 
of these miraculous cures, which have been attested by individ- 
uals the most enlightened, and whose probity is above suspicion ; 
but I will content myself with making you acquainted with the 
testimony of two persons remarkable for virtue and merit, who 
having themselves proved the power of this sainted female with 



CATHERINE, THE IROaUOIS SAINT. 115 



God, felt they were bound to leave a public monument for pos- 
terity, to satisfy at tbe same time their piety and their gratitude. 
The first testimonial is that of M. de la Colombiere, Canon of 
the Cathedral of Quebec, Grand- Vicar of the Diocese. He ex- 
presses himself in these terms : 

" Having been ill at Quebec during the past year, from the 
« month of January even to the month of June, of a slow fever, 
" against which all remedies had been tried in vain, and of a 
" diarrhoea, which even ipecacuana could not cure, it was thought 
" well that I should record a vow, in case it should please God to 
" relieve me of these two maladies, to make a pilgrimage to the 
" Mission of St. Francis Xavier, to pray at the tomb of Cathe- 
" rine Tegahkouita. On the very same day the fever ceased, and 
" the diarrhoea having become better, I embarked some days af- 
" terwards to fulfil my vow. Scarcely had I accomplished one 
" third of my journey, when I found myself perfectly cured. As 
« my health is something so very useless that I should not have 
" dared to ask for it, if I had not felt myself obliged to do so by 
" the deference which I ought to have for the servants of the 
" Lord, it is impossible reasonably to withhold the belief, that 
" God in according to me this grace, had no other view than to 
" make known the credit which this excellent maiden had with 
" Him. For myself I should fear that I was unjustly with- 
" holding the truth, and refusing to the Missions of Canada 
" the glory which is due to them, if I did not testify as I have 
" now done, that I am a debtor for my cure to this Iroquois vir- 
" gin. It is for this reason that I have given the present attes- 
" tation with every sentiment of gratitude of which I am capa- 
" ble, to increase, as far as is in my power, the confidence which 
" is felt in my benefactress, but still more to excite the desire to 
" to imitate her virtues. Given at Villemarie, the 14th of Sep- 
" tember, 1696. " J. de la Colombiere, P. J., 

'' Canon of the Cathedral of Quebec." 



116 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 



The second testimonial is from M. du Luth, Captain in the 
Marine Corps, and Commander of Fort Frontinac. It is thus 
that he speaks : 

" I, the subscriber, certify to all whom it may concern, that 
" having been tormented by the gout for the space of twenty- 
" three years, and with such severe pains that it gave me no rest 
" for the space of three months at a time, I addressed myself to 
" Catherine Tegahkouita, an Iroquois virgin, deceased at the 
" Sault Saint Louis in the reputation of sanctity, and I promised 
" her to visit her tomb, if God should give me health through her 
" intercession. I have been so perfectly cured, at the end of one 
" novena* which I made in her honor, that after five months I 
" have not perceived the slightest touch of my gout. Given at 
" Fort Frontinac, this 15th of August, 1696. 

e 

" J. DU LUTH, 

" Capt. of the Marine Corps, Commander of Fort Frontinac." 

I have thought that a narrative of the virtues of this holy fe- 
male, born thus in the midst of heathenism and among savages, 
would serve to edify those who having been born in the bosom 
of Christianity, have also every possible aid in raising themselves 
to the height of holiness. 

I have the honor to be, &c. 

[* A novena is a course of devotional services extending through nine 
days.] 



THE IROQUOIS MARTYRS. 



1688—1693. 



LETTER V 



FROM FATHER CHOLLONEC, MISSIONARY OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS 

IN NEW FRANCE, TO FATHER JEAN-BAPTISTE DU HALDE 

OF THE SAME SOCIETY. 



MY REVEREND FATHER, 

The Peace of our Lord be with you : 

I HAVE learned with much consolation that you have been 
edified in France by the account which I sent of the virtues of a 
young Iroquois virgin, who died here in the odor of sanctity, and 
whom we regard as the Protectress of this colony. It is the 
mission of St. Francis Xavier du Sault which trained her to 
Christianity, and the impressions which such examples have left 
there still remain, and will remain for a long time, as we hope, 
through the mercy of God. Long before it occurred, she had 
predicted the glorious death of some Christians of this Mission, 
and we have reason to believe that she is the one who, from the 
Heaven where she is placed, has sustained the courage of these 
generous devoted men, who have signalized their constancy and 
faith in the midst of the most frightful sufferings. I will re- 
late to you, therefore, in a few words, the history of these fer- 
vent neophytes, for I am persuaded that you will be touched 
by it. 

The settlements of the Iroquois had been gradually depopu- 
lated by the desertion of many families, who took refuge in the 
Mission du Sault, for the purpose of embracing Christianity there. 
Etienne te Ganonakoa was of this number. He came to reside 



120 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

there with his wife, a sister-in-law, and six children. He was then 
ahout thirty-five years of age ; his natural disposition had nothing 
in it that was barbarous, and the stability of his marriage in a 
country where the most perfect license reigns, and where they easily 
change their wives, was one evidence of the innocency of the life 
which he had led. All the new comers urgently desired baptism, 
and it was granted them after the customary probation and 
instructions. We were immediately edified in the village by the 
union which evidently existed in this family, and the care with 
which they honored God. Etienne watched the education of his 
children with a zeal worthy of a missionary. Every day, both 
morning and evening, he sent them to prayers, and to the 
instructions which are provided for those of that age. Nor did 
he fail himself to set them an example, by the constancy of his 
attendance at all the exercises of the Mission, and by his frequent 
participation in the Sacraments. 

It was by such a course of Christian conduct that he prepared 
himself to triumph over the enemies of religion, and to defend his 
faith in the midst of the most cruel torments. The Iroquois had 
used every means to induce those of their countrymen who were 
at the Sault to return to their native land. But their prayers 
and presents having been found useless, they resorted to menaces, 
and signified to them, that if they persisted in their refusal, they 
should no longer regard them as relatives or friends, but their 
hate become irreconcilable, and they would treat them as declared 
enemies. The war which was then existing between the French 
and Iroquois furnished them with a pretext for spending their 
rage on those of their countrymen who, after having thus deserted 
them, fell into their hands. It was at this time, in the month of 
August, 1690, that Etienne set out for the purpose of hunting, in 
the autumn, accompanied by his wife and another Indian of the 
Sault. In the following month of September, these three neo 
phytes were surprised in the woods by a party of the enemy, 



THE IROQUOIS MARTYRS. 121 

consisting of fourteen Goiogoens^ who seized them, bound them, 
and carried them away prisoners into their country. 

As soon as Etienne saw himself at the mercy of the Goiogoens, 
he did not for a moment doubt but that he would shortly be de- 
livered up to a most cruel death. He expressed himself thus to 
his wife, and recommended to her, above all things, to remain 
steadfast to her faith, and in case she should ever be permitted to 
return to the Sault, to bring up her children in the fear of Grod. 
During the whole journey he did not cease exhorting her to con- 
stancy, and endeavoring to fortify her against the dangers to 
which she was about to be exposed among those of her own nation. 

The three captives were conducted, not to Goiogoe/ij where it 
was most natural that they should carry them, but to Ojinoncagu^. 
God determined, it seemed, that the steadfastness and constancy 
of Etienne should shine forth in a place, which was at that time 
celebrated for the crowds of savages who were assembled about it, 
and who, while there, plunged themselves in the most infamous 
debaucheries. Although it is their custom to await the arrival of 
their captives at the entrance of the village, yet the joy they felt 
at having some of the inhabitants of the Sault in their power, 
induced them to go forth a great distance from their setttlement 
to meet their prey. They had arrayed themselves in their finest 
dresses as for a day of triumph — they were armed with knives 
and hatchets and clubs, and anything on which they could lay 
their hands, while fury was painted on their countenances. As 
soon as they joined the captives, one of the Indians came up to 
Etienne. " My brother," said he, " your end has come. It is 
not we who put you to death, but you sealed your own fate when 
you left us to live among the Christian dogs." " It is true," an- 
swered Etienne. " that I am a Christian, but it is no less true that 
I glory in being one. Inflict on me what you please, for I fear 
neither your outrages nor torments. I willingly give up my life 
for that God who has shed all his blood for me." 

7 



122 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 



Scarcely had he uttered these words, when they furiously 
threw themselves upon him, and cut him cruelly on his arms, his 
thighs, and over his whole body, which in an instant they covered 
with blood. They cut off several of his fingers, and tore out his 
nails. Then, one of the troop cried out to him, "pray to God." 
" Yes, I will pray to him," said Etienne ; and raising his bound 
hands, he made as far as he was able the sign of the cross, at the 
same time pronouncing with a loud voice, in their language, these 
words, " In the name of the Father," &c. Immediately they cut 
off half his fingers which remained, and cried to him a second 
time, "pray to God now." Etienne made anew the sign of the 
cross, and the instant that he did so, they cut off all his fingers 
down to the palm of his hand. Then a third time they invited 
him to pray to God, insulting him, and pouring out against him 
all the injuries which their rage could dictate. As this generous 
neophyte commenced the attempt to make the sign of the cross 
with the palm of his hand, they cut it off entirely. Not content 
with these first sallies of fury, they gashed his flesh on all the 
places which he had marked with the sign of the cross, that is to 
say, on his forehead, on his stomach, and from one shoulder to 
the other, as if to efface those august marks of religion, which he 
had impressed there. 

After this bloody prelude, they conducted the prisoners to the 
village. They at first bound Etienne before a large fire which 
they had kindled there, and in which they had heated some 
stones red-hot. These stones they placed between his thighs, 
and pressed them violently against each other. They then or- 
dered him to chant after the Iroquois manner, and when he 
refused to do so, and, on the contrary, repeated in a loud voice 
the prayers he was accustomed to recite every day, one of the 
furious savages about him seized a burning brand, and struck 
him forcibly on the mouth ; then, without giving him time to 
breathe, they bound him to the stake. 



THE IROGIUOIS MARTYRS. 123 

When the neophyte found himself in the midst of the red-hot 
irons and burning brands, far from showing any fear, he cast a 
tranquil look upon all the ferocious brutes who surrounded him, 
and spoke to them thus : " Satisfy yourselves, my brethren, with 
the barbarous pleasure you experience in burning me ; do not 
spare me, for my sins merit much more of suffering than you can 
procure me ; the more you torment me, the more you augment 
the recompense which is prepared for me in Heaven." 

These words served only to inflame their fury. The savages 
all with a kind of emulation, seized the burning brands and red- 
hot irons, with which they slowly burned all the body of Etienne. 
The courageous neophyte suffered all these torments without 
allowing a single sigh to escape him. He seemed to be perfectly 
tranquil, his eyes being raised to heaven, whither his soul was 
drawn in continual prayer. At length, when he perceived his 
strength failing, he requested a cessation for a few moments, and 
then reviving all his fervor, he uttered his last prayer. He com- 
mended his soul to Jesus Christ, and prayed him to pardon his 
death to those who had treated him with so much inhumanity. 
At last, after new torments suffered with the same constancy, he 
gave up his soul to his Creator, triumphing, by his courage, over 
all the cruelty of the Iroquois. 

They granted her life to his wife, as he had predicted to her. 
She remained sometime longer a prisoner in their country, but 
without either entreaties or threats being able to vanquish her 
faith. Having returned to Agni^, which was her native place, 
she remained there until her son came to seek her, and conducted 
her back to the Sault. 

With regard to the Indian who was taken at the same time 
with Etienne, he escaped with the loss of some of his fingers 
which were cut off, and a deep cut which he received on his leg. 
He was carried afterwards to Go'iogocns^ where they granted him 
his life. They used every effort to induce him to marry there 



124 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

and live in the customary debauchery of the nation ; but he an- 
swered constantly, that his religion forbade him to indulge in 
these excesses. At last, having gone towards Montreal with a 
party of warriors, he secretly withdrew from his companions, and 
returned to the Mission du Sault, where he has lived since with 
much piety. 

Two years afterwards, a female of the same Mission gave an 
example of constancy equal to that of Etienne, and finished her 
life, as he did, in the flames. She was named Fran^oise Gonanii- 
hatenha. She was from Onnontagu6, and had been baptized by 
the Father Frcmin. All the Mission was edified by her piety, 
her modesty, and the charity she exercised towards the poor. As 
she herself had abundance, she divided her goods among many 
families, who were thus sustained by her liberality. Having lost 
her first husband, she married a virtuous Christian who as well as 
herself was from O/inonkigue, and who had lived a long time at 
Chastcau-Guay^ which is three leagues distant from the Sault. 
He passed all his summers there in fishing, and happened to be 
actually there when news was received of an incursion of the 
enemy. Immediately Fran^oise placed herself in a canoe with 
two of her friends, to go in search of her husband, and deliver 
him from the peril in which he was involved. They arrived 
there in time, and the little party thought itself in security, when 
at the distance of only a quarter of a league from the Sault, they 
were unexpectedly surprised by armed enemies, who were com- 
posed of the OmwntaguC'S^ the Tso)mo?dorians, and the Gologoens. 
They immediately cut off her husband's head, and the three 
women were carried away prisoners. 

The cruelty which was exercised towards them the first night 
which they passed in the Iroquois camp, led them to realize that 
the most inhuman treatment awaited them. The savages di- 
verted themselves with tearing out their nails, and burning their 
fingers in their pipes, which is, they say, a most dreadful torture. 



THE IROaUOIS MARTYRS. 125 

Their runners carried to Omiontague the news of the prize which 
they had taken, and the two friends of Fran^oise were immedi- 
ately given to Omwiout and to Tso/uio/Uoria/i, while Fran^oisc her- 
self was surriendered to her own sister, who was a person of great 
consideration in the village. But she, putting aside the tender- 
ness which her nature and blood should have inspired her, aban- 
doned her to the discretion of the old men and warriors, that is 
to say, she destined her to the fire. 

No sooner had the prisoners arrived at Onnontague^ than they 
forced Franijoise to ascend a scaffolding which was erected in the 
middle of the village. There, in the presence of her relatives 
and all her nation, she declared with a loud voice that she 
was a Christian of the Mission du Sault, and that she thought 
herself happy to die in her country and by the hands of her kins- 
men, after the example of Jesus Christ, who had been placed on 
the cross by the members of His own nation, whom he had loaded 
with benefits. 

One of the relatives of the neophyte who was present, had 
made a journey to the Sault five years before, for the purpose of 
inducing her to return with him. But all the artifices which he 
employed to persuade her to abandon the Mission were useless. 
She constantly answered him, that she prized her faith more than 
she did either country or life, and that she was not willing 
to risk so precious a treasure. The savage had for a long time 
nourished in his heart the indignation which he had conceived 
on account of this resistance, and now, being again still more 
irrritated by listening to the speeches of Franc^oisc, he sprang on 
the scaffolding, snatched from her a crucifix which hung from her 
neck, and with a knife which he held in his hand, made on her 
breast a double gash in the form of a cross. " Hold," said he, 
" see the cross which you esteem so much, and which prevented 
you leaving the Sault when I took the trouble to go and seek 
you." " I thank you, my brother," Franqoise answered him, '• It 



126 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

was possible to lose the cross which you have taken from me, but 
you have given me one which I can lose only with my life." 

She continued afterwards to address her countrymen on the 
mysteries of her faith, and she spoke with a force and unction 
which were far beyond her ability and talents. " In fine," said 
she, in concluding, " however frightful may be the torments to 
which you destine me, do not think that my lot will be to com- 
plain. Tears and groans rather become you. This fire which 
you kindle for my punishment, will only last a few hours, but for 
you a fire which will never be extinguished is prepared in hell. 
Nevertheless, you still have the opportunity to escape it. Follow 
my example, become Christians, live according to the rules of this 
so holy law, and you will avoid these eternal flames. Still how- 
ever I declare to you, that I do not wish any evil to those whom 
I see preparing everything to take away my life. Not only do I 
pardon them for my death, but I again pray the Sovereign Arbi- 
ter of life and death to open their eyes to the truth, to touch 
their hearts, to give th'fem grace to be converted and to die Chris- 
tians like myself." 

These words of Fran^oise, far from softening their savage hearts, 
only increased their fury. For three nights in succession they 
led her about through all the wigwams to make sport for the bru- 
tal populace. On the fourth they bound her to the stake to burn 
her. These furies applied to her, in all parts of her body, burn- 
ing brands, and gun-barrels red-hot. This suff'ering lasted many 
hours, without this holy victim giving utterance to the least cry. 
She had her eyes ceaselessly elevated to Heaven, and one would 
have said that she was insensible to these excruciating pains. 
M. de Saint Michel, Seigneur of the place of that name, who was 
then a prisoner at Onnontagu^^ and who escaped as if by miracle 
from the hands of the Iroquois, only one hour before he was to 
have been burned, related to us all these circumstances of which 
he was a witness. Curiosity attracted around him all the inhab- 



THE IROaUOIS MARTYRS. 127 

itants of Montreal, and the simple account of what he had seen, 
drew tears from every one. They were never tired of hearing 
him speak of a courage which seemed so wonderful. 

When the Iroquois have amused themselves a sufficient length 
of time with burning their prisoners by a slow process, they cut 
them round the head, take off their scalp, cover the crown of the 
head with hot ashes, and take them down from the stake. After 
which they take a new pleasure in making them seen, pursuing 
them with terrific shouts, and beating them unmercifully with 
stones. They adopted this plan with Frangoise. M. de Saint- 
Michel says that the spectacle made him shudder ; but a mo- 
ment afterwards he was excited even to tears, when he saw this 
virtuous neophyte throw herself on her knees, and raising her 
eyes to heaven offer to God in sacrifice the last breath of life 
which remained. She was immediately overwhelmed with a show- 
er of stones which the Iroquois cast at her, and died, as she had 
lived, in the exercise of prayer, and in union with our Lord. 

In the following year a third victim of the Mission du Sault 
was sacrificed to the fury of the Iroquois. Her sex, her extreme 
youth, and the excess of torment which they caused her to suffer, 
rendered her constancy most memorable. She was named Mar- 
guerite Garongov/iSj twenty-four years of age, a native of Onnon- 
tague, and had received Baptism at the age of thirteen. She was 
married shortly afterwards, and God blessed her marriage in 
giving her four children, whom she brought up with great care 
in the precepts of religion. The youngest was yet at the breast, 
and she was carrying it in her arms at the time of her capture. 

It was in the autumn of the year 1693, that having gone to 
visit her field at a quarter of a league from the fort, she fell into 
the hands of two savages of Onnontagu^^ who were from her own 
country, and it is even probable that they were her relatives. 
The joy which had been felt at O/moniague at the capture of the 
first two Christians of the Sault, led these savages to believe that 



128 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

this new capture would win for them the greatest applause. 
They therefore carried her with all speed to Onnontague. 

At the first news of her arrival, all the Indians poured out of 
the village, and went to await the. prisoner on an eminence 
which it was necessary for her to pass. A new fury seemed to 
possess their minds. As soon as Marguerite came in sight, she 
was received with frightful cries, and when she reached the emi- 
nence, she saw herself surrounded by all the savages, to the num- 
ber of more than four hundred. They first snatched her in- 
fant from her, then tore off her clothes, and at last cast them- 
selves upon her pell-mell, and began cutting her with their 
knives, until her whole body seemed to be but one wound. One 
of our Frenchmen who was a witness of this terrible spectacle, 
attributed it to a kind of miracle, that she did not expire on the 
spot. Marguerite saw him, and calling him by name, exclaimed, 
" Alas ! you see my destiny, that only a few moments more of 
life remain to me. God be thanked however, I do not at all 
shrink from death, however cruel may be the form in which it 
awaits me. My sins merit even greater pains. Pray the Lord 
that He will pardon them to me, and give me strength to suffer." 
She spoke this with a loud voice, and in their language. One 
cannot be sufficiently astonished, that in the sad state to which 
she was reduced, she had so much spirit remaining. 

After a little while they conducted her to the cabin of a 
French woman, an inhabitant of Montreal, who was also a pri- 
soner. She availed herself of the opportunity to encourage 
Marguerite, and to exhort her to suffer with constancy these 
short-lived pains, in view of the eternal recompense by which 
they would be followed. Marguerite thanked her for her chari- 
table counsels, and repeated to her what she had already said, 
that she had no fears of death, but would meet it with good 
courage. She added also, that since her baptism she had prayed 
to God for grace to suffer for his love, and that seeing her body 



THE IROaUOIS MARTYRS. 129 

SO mangled, she could not doubt but that God had favorably 
heard her prayer. She was therefore contented to die, and 
wished no evil to her relatives or countrymen who were about 
to be her executioners, but on the contrary, she prayed God 
to pardon their crime, and give them grace to be converted 
to the faith. It is indeed a remarkable fact, that the three neo- 
phytes of whom I have spoken, all prayed in the hour of death 
for the salvation of those who were treating them so cruelly ; 
and this is a most tangible proof of the spirit of charity which 
reigned at the Mission du Sault. 

These two captives were conversing on eternal truths, and the 
happiness of the saints in Heaven. wLen a party of twenty sav- 
ages came to seek Marguerite, to conduct her to the place where 
she was to be burned. They paid no regard to her youth, nor 
her sex, nor her country, nor the advantage she possessed in be- 
ing the daughter of one of the most d'stinguislied men of the 
village, one who held the rank of chief among them, and in 
whose name all the affairs of the nation were carried on. These 
things would certainly have saved the life of any one else but a 
Christian of the Mission du Sault. 

Marguerite was then bound to the stake, where they burned 
her over her whole body with a cruelty which it is not easy to 
describe. She suffered this long and severe torture without 
showing the least sign of sorrow. They only heard her invoke 
the holy names of Jesus, of Mary, and of Joseph, and pray 
them to sustain her in this rude conflict, even until her sacrifice 
was completed. From time to time she asked for a little water, 
but after some reflection, she prayed them to refuse it to her, 
even when she might ask for it. " My Saviour," said she, " was 
thirsty while dying for me upon the Cross. Is it not right there- 
fore, that I should suffer the same inconvenience ?" The Iro- 
quois tormented her from noon even to sunset. In the impa- 
tience they felt to see her draw her last breath, before the night 

7* 



130 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

should oblige them to retire, they unbound her from the stake, 
took off her scalp, covered her head with the hot cinders, and or- 
dered her to run. She on the contrary, threw herself on her 
knees, and raising her eyes and hands to Heaven, commended 
her soul to the Lord. The barbarians then struck her on the 
head many blows of a club without her discontinuing her prayer, 
until at last one of them, crying out, " Is it not possible for this 
Christian dog to die?" took a new knife and thrust it into the 
lower part of her stomach. The knife, although struck forward 
with great swiftness, snapped off to the entire astonishment of 
the savages, and the pieces fell at her feet. Another then took the 
stake itself to which she had been bound, and struck her violently 
on the head. As she still gave some signs of life, they heaped 
on the fire a pile of dry wood which happened to be in that place, 
and then cast her body on it, where it was shortly consumed. It 
is from thence that Marguerite w^ent without doubt to receive in 
Heaven the recompense which was merited by a sainted life ter- 
minated by so precious a death. 

It was natural that they should grant its life to her child. 
But an Iroquois to whom it had been given, wished to avenge 
himself on it for an affront which he thought he had received 
from the French. Three days after the death of Marguerite? 
they were surprised at hearing, at the beginning of the night, 
the cry of death. At this cry, all the savages sallied forth from 
their cabins to repair to the place from which it proceeded. 
The inhabitant of Montreal, of whom I have spoken, ran thither 
with the rest. There they found a fire burning, and the infant 
ready to be cast into it. The savages could not help being soft- 
ened at this spectacle ; but this was still more the case, when the 
infant, who was but a year old, raising its little hands to heaven, 
with a sweet smile, called three times on its mother, showing by 
its gesture that it wished to embrace her. The inhabitant of 
Montreal did not doubt but that its mother had appeared to it. 



THE IROaUOIS MARTYRS. 131 

It is at least probable, that she had asked from God that her 
child should be reunited to her before long, that it might be pre- 
served from the licentious training it would have, which would 
withdraw it as far as possible from Christianity. Although, as 
it happened, the infant was not abandoned to the flames, for one 
of the most considerable men of the village delivered it from 
them j yet it was only to devote it to a death scarcely less cruel. 
He took it by the feet, and raising it in the air, dashed its head 
against a stone. 

I cannot forbear, my Reverend Father, speaking to you once 
more of a fourth neophyte of this Mission, who, although he 
escaped the fire which was prepared for him, nevertheless had 
the happiness of giving his life rather than be exposed to the 
danger of losing his faith. It was a young Ag/iie, named 
Haonhouentsiontaauet. He was captured by a party of the Ag- 
ni^s, who carried him away as a slave into their own country. 
As he had many relations, they granted him his life, and gave 
him to those who belonged to the same family. These were 
urgent in their solicitations that he should live according to the 
customs of the nation ; that is to say, indulge in all the disorders 
of a licentious life. Etienne, far from listening to them, gave in 
reply the truths of salvation, which he explained with much 
force and unction, and ceaselessly exhorted them to go with him 
to the Mission du Sault, there to embrace Christianity. But he 
spoke to people born and educated in vice, the habit of which 
was too sweet to enable them to quit it. Thus, the example and 
the exhortations of the neophyte served no other purpose than to 
render them more guilty in the sight of God. 

As it seemed that his residence at Ag^iie was of no advantage 
to his relatives, and that it might be even dangerous to his own 
salvation, he adopted the resolution to return to the Sault. He 
disclosed his intention to those around him, and they consented 
to it the more willingly, because they saw that they would thus 



132 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

be delivered from an importunate censor, wlio was continually 
condemning the vices of the nation. He therefore a second time 
quitted his country and his family, for the sake of preserving 
that faith which was more dear to him than everything else. 

Scarcely, however, had he set out on his journey, when the 
report of his departure spread through the wigwams. It was 
particularly mentioned in one, in which some intoxicated young 
men were at that time actually engaged in a debauch. They 
were enraged against Etienne, and after pouring out their abuse 
against him, concluded that it would not do to suffer him thus to 
prefer the Christian settlement to his own country, that this was 
an affront which reflected on the whole nation, and that they 
were bound to constrain the Christian dog to return to the vil- 
lage, or cut off his head, for the purpose of intimidating those 
who might be tempted to follow his example. 

Three of them, therefore, immediately armed themselves with 
hatchets, and ran after Etienne. They shortly came up with 
him, and holding a hatchet raised over his head, said roughly, 
" Retrace your steps and follow us. It will be your death to 
resist,. for we have orders from the Sachems to cut off your head." 
Etienne answered them with his usual sweetness, that they were 
masters of his life, but that he preferred losing that to risking his 
faith and salvation in their village ; that he was, therefore, going 
to the Mission du Sault, where he was resolved to live and die. 

As he saw that after this particular declaration of his senti- 
ments, these brutes would undoubtedly destroy him, he requested 
them to give him a few moments in which to pray to God. They 
had this condescension, intoxicated as they were, and Etienne 
threw himself on his knees, and tranquilly offered up his prayer, 
in which he thanked God for the grace which had been given him 
to die a Christian. He prayed, too, for his heathen relatives, 
and in particular for his murderers, who, at that very moment 
raised their hatchets and split open his head. 



THE IROaUOIS MARTYRS. 133 

We were informed of the particulars of this death, so noble and 
Christian, by some Ag/iies, who came shortly after to fix their 
residence at the Mission du Sault. 

I will finish this. letter by the history of another Christian of 
this Mission, whose life has been a model of patience and piety. 
It was the earliest companion of Catherine Tegahkouita^ and the 
most faithful imitator of her virtues. Jeanne Gpuasiahra^ for 
such was her name, was of the nation of the Oimelout. She was 
married to a young Agnie at the Mission of Notre-Dame de 
Lorette, and her natural sweetness of character and rare virtue 
ought to have attracted to her all the tenderness of her husband. 
But the young man abandoned himself to the customary vices of 
his nation, that is to say, to intemperance and licentiousness, and 
his dissoluteness was to the neophyte a constant source of bad 
treatment. He sometime afterwards left the village of Lorette, 
and became a wanderer and a vagabond. His virtuous wife, how- 
ever, was not willing to leave him. She followed him wherever 
he" went, in the hope of at last inducing him to return to himself 
anid thus gaining him to Jesus Christ ; she endured his debauch- 
eries and brutalities with unalterable patience ; she even practised 
frequent austerities in secret, to obtain his conversion from God. 
The unhappy man took it into his head to come to the Sault, 
where he had relatives, and she accompanied him thither, and 
exhibited towards him those attentions and acts of kindness 
which should have been able to soften the hardest heart. At 
last, after many changes, having plunged deeply into licentious- 
ness and dissoluteness, he entirely renounced his faith, and re- 
turned to the Agnies. This was the only place to which the 
neophyte refused to follow him. She had, however, the prudence 
to go and live at Lorette, with the relatives of her unworthy hus- 
band, hoping that this last proof of complaisance would induce 
him to abandon his debaucheries. But she had not passed a year 
there, when she learned that this apostate had been killed by 



134 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

some savages, whose wigwam he had attacked when he had gone 
out after a debauch which had been extended to the last excess. 

A death so bad touched her deeply. Although she was still in 
the flower of her age, she forever renounced all thoughts of the 
marriage state, and determined to pass the rest of her days near 
the tomb of Catherine. There she lived as a Christian widow, 
striving to sanctify herself by the practice of all virtues, and by 
continual austerities. And there she shortly afterwards died, in 
the odor of sanctity. One thing only gave her pain in her last 
illness. She was leaving behind her two children, still in their 
tender age, the one not having yet reached its sixth year, nor the 
other its fourth, and she feared lest, in process of time, they 
should be corrupted, and follow in the steps of their unhappy 
father. She had, therefore, recourse to our Lord with that fervor 
and confidence which animated all her prayers, and she asked of 
him the favor, that the children should not be separated from 
their mother. Her prayer was favorably heard, and although the 
two children were then in perfect health, the one became ill im- 
mediately, and died before the mother, while the other followed 
eight days after her own departure. 

I should continue indefinitely, my Reverend Father, if I were 
to speak again of many other neophytes, whose virtue and faith 
were equally tried. What, however, I have already written will 
suffice to give some idea of the fervor which reigns in the Mission 
of St. Francis Xavier du Sault. His Grace the Bishop of Quebec, 
who visited our neophytes, has given his public testimony to their 
virtue. It is thus that this high Prelate speaks in a relation 
which he gave of the state of New France, and which was pub- 
lished in 1688 : — " The ordinary life of all these Christians has 
" nothing about it which is common, and one might take it for a 
" veritable monastery. As they have abandoned all the advan- 
" tages of their own country, for the sole reason that they might 
" secure their salvation near the French, we can there see every- 



THE IROaUOIS MARTYRS. 135 

" thing arranged for the practice of the most perfect freedom from 
" worldly passions, and they preserve among themselves so admi- 
" rable a method to promote their holiness, that it would be dif- 
" ficult to add anything else." 

I hope, my Reverend Father, that your zeal will often lead 
you to pray to the God of mercy for these new converts, to the 
end that He would preserve them in that state of fervor in which 
He has placed them by His grace. With every sentiment of 
respect. 



MONTC ALM^S 



EXPEDITION TO DESTROY FORT GEORGE. 



1767. 



LETTER VI. 

FROM FATHER ROUBAUD, MISSIONARY AMONG THE ABNAKIS. 



At St. Francis, the 21st of October, 1757. 

On tlie twelfth of July I left St. Francis, the principal village 
of the Abnakis mission, to return to Montreal. The object of 
my voyage was merely to conduct to M. the Marquis de Yau- 
dreuil, a deputation of twenty Abnakis destined to accompany 
Father Virot, who has gone to attempt the foundation of a new 
mission among the Loups at Oyo^ or the beautiful river. The 
part which I was able to act in this glorious enterprise, the events 
which took place, and the difficulties necessary to be surmounted, 
would furnish in succession interesting materials for new letters. 
But it is right to expect, that the blessings poured out should 
have crowned the efforts we have made to bear the light of our 
faith to the people who seem so well disposed to receive it. 

Arrived at Montreal, distant one and a half day's journey from 
my mission, I thought myself at the end of my travels ; but 
Providence had ordered otherwise. They were preparing an 
expedition against the enemy, and relying on the disposition of 
the Indian nation, they anticipated from it great success. It was 
necessary that the Abnakis should be of the party, and as all the 
Christian Indians were accompanied by their missionaries, who 
were eager to render them the appropriate assistance* of their 
ministry, the Abnakis might be sure that I would not abandon 
them in circumstances so critical. I accordingly at once pre- 
pared to depart. My equipments were presently ready — one 



140 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

strine, and the holy oil for Extreme Unctioiij these were all — 
trusting for everything else to that Providence which had never 
forsaken me. I embarked two days afterwards on the great river 
St. Lawrence, in company with two priests of St. Sulpice. The 
one was M. Picquet, Missionary to the Iroquois at Galette, and 
the other, M. Mathavet, Missionary to the Nipistingues .at the 
Lake of the Two Mountains. My Abnakis were encamped at 
Saint-Jean, one of the forts of the Colony, distant one day's jour- 
ney from Montreal. My coming surprised them ; they had not 
anticipated it. Scarcely had they perceived me, when they made 
the forests and the neighboring mountains echo back the news of 
my arrival. Even the children shared in these feelings, (for 
among the Indians, each one is a warrior as soon as he can carry 
a gun,) and gave me proofs of their satisfaction. Ne^nittangous- 
tena^ Nemittangoustena^ they cried in their language ; Ouriourie 
eri namihoureg. That is to say, " Our Father, our father, how 
much are we obliged for this, that you thus procure us the plea- 
sure of seeing you." Thanking them in a few words for the good 
will which they had testified towards me, I did not delay to 
discharge in their presence the appropriate duties of my ministry. 
Scarcely had I pitched my tent when I hastened to rejoin them. 
Conducting them to the foot of a large Cross erected on the bank 
of the river, with a loud voice I offered up for them the Evening 
Prayer. I concluded it by a short exhortation, in which I en- 
deavored to portray to them the obligations of a warrior whom 
religion influences in his conflicts, and then took leave of them, 
after having announced the celebration of the Mass on the mor- 
row. I had supposed that would be the time of our departure, 
but bad weather disappointed our hopes, and we were obliged 
still to remain encamped on that day, which was occupied in 
making the proper arrangements for our march. 

During the evening the kindness of an officer procured for us 
a sight of one of those spectacles connected with Indian warfare 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 141 

whicli most persons admire, as being able to excite even in the 
most faint-hearted, that martial ardor which transforms them 
into true warriors. For myself, however, I could never look 
upon it but as a comic farce, likely to excite violent laughter in 
one who was not on his guard. I refer to one of their was-feasts. 
Imagine to yourself an immense assembly of savages, adorned 
with all the ornaments most likely to disfigure a face to Euro- 
pean eyes. The vermilion, the white, the green, the yellow, the 
black made with soot or the scrapings of the pots, all these 
different colors unite in a single savage visage, and are methodi- 
cally applied by the aid of a little tallow, which serves for poma- 
tum. Such is the paint which, on these occasions of solemnity, 
is called into requisition to embellish, not only the face, but also 
the head. This is entirely shaven, except one little tuft of hair, 
reserved on the crown to attach to it plumes of birds, or small 
pieces of porcelain, or some other similar gewgaw. To each part 
of the head there is its peculiar ornament. The nose has its 
pendant ; while the ears are equally well furnished, having been 
split in infancy, and then stretched out by weights with which 
they were loaded, so that at last they rest and flap on the shoul- 
ders. The remainder of their equipment corresponds with this 
fantastical decoration. A shirt bedaubed with vermilion, collars 
of porcelain, bracelets of silver, a large knife suspended on the 
breast, a belt of various colors, but always ridiculously assorted, 
moccasons of rough skin — such are the accoutrements of an In- 
dian ! The chiefs and captains are not distinguished, except the 
latter by a gorget or neck-piece, and the former by a medallion, 
which has on one side the portrait of the king, and on the re- 
verse Mars and Bellona giving each other the hand, with the 
motto. Virtus ei honos. 

Imagine to yourself then, an assembly of people thus adorned, 
and arranged in lines. In the midst are placed large kettles 
filled with victuals, cooked and cut into pieces, to be more easily 



142 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

carried about and distributed to the spectators. After a respect- 
ful silence which announces the majesty of the assembly, some 
captains deputed by the different nations which assist at the fete 
commence a chant, which they take up successively. You can 
imagine without any difficulty what this savage music must be, 
in comparison with the delicacy and taste of European. It is 
composed of sounds formed, I should say, almost by chance, and 
which sometimes do not badly resemble the cries and bowlings 
of wolves. This is but the overture of the meeting — it is only 
the announcement and the prelude, to summon the Indians who 
are dispersed about, to come to the general rendezvous. The 
assembly being at length formed, the orator of the nation com- 
mences his speech and solemnly harangues the guests. This is 
the most reasonable part of the ceremony. A panegyric of the 
king — the praise of the French nation — the reasons which prove 
the justness of the war — all those motives of glory and religion 
which are proper to induce the young to march with joy to the 
combat — these form the foundation of such discourses, which 
most commonly do not betray the influence of savage barbarity. 
I have more than once heard that which the brightest intellects 
of France would not have disavowed. An eloquence derived 
from nature has no reason to regret the absence of all assistance 
from art. 

The speech being finished, they proceed to nominate the lead- 
ers who shall command the party. As soon as each one is 
named, he rises in his place and comes forward to seize the head 
of one of the animals which constitute the staple of the feast. 
He lifts it up high to be seen by the whole multitude, crying out 
at the same time, " Behold the head of an enemy !" Then cries 
of joy and acclamations burst from every side, announcing the 
satisfaction of the assembly. The leader then, the head of the 
animal still in his hand, passes through all the ranks, chanting 
his war song, in which he exhausts himself in the most exagge- 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. X48 

rated boastings, in insulting defiance of the enemy, and in strange 
praises which he lavishes on himself. To hear them set forth 
their own merits, in these moments of warlike enthusiasm, you 
would suppose that they are all heroes, able to surpass every- 
thing — to crush everything — to vanquish everything. As they 
pass in review before the savages, these respond to their songs 
by cries, dull, broken, drawn apparcntl^^om the bottom of the 
stomach, and accompanied by movements of the body so ludi- 
crous, that it is necessary to be accustomed to these things, to 
see them without losing all self-restraint. 

In the course of the song he is careful to insert from time to 
time some grotesque pleasantry. Then he stops, as if to felici- 
tate himself, or rather to receive the plaudits of the savages, 
which in a thousand confused cries are echoed back to his ears. 
He prolongs his warlike promenade, as long as the sport pleases 
him ; when it ceases to do so, he ends it by casting from him with 
disdain the head which he had held in his hands, to show by this 
gesture of contempt, that it is a viand of an entirely different 
kind from that which is necessary to satisfy his military apetite. 
Then he goes to resume his place, where he is no sooner seated, 
than it sometimes happens that some one dresses for him the 
head in a pot of hot cinders ; but this is a sign of friendship and 
a mark of tenderness which he would not suffer except on the 
part of a friend well declared and well known ; a like familiarity 
in an ordinary man would be deemed an insult. To this first 
warrior others succeed who protract the meeting, especially when 
the object is to form large parties, because it is in ceremonies of 
this kind that they make their enrolments. At last the festival 
is ended by the distribution and consumption of the viands. 

Such was the war-feast given by the Indians, and the ceremo- 
nial they observed. The Algonkins, Abnakis, Nipistingues, and 
Amenecis were at this fete. Nevertheless more serious cares 
demanded our presence elsewhere, and as it was getting late we 



144 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

rose^ and each missionary followed by his neophytes departed to 
finish the day with the usual prayers. A part of the night was 
spent in making the last preparations for our departure, which 
was fixed for the next day. The weather on this occasion proved 
favorable. We embarked, after having placed our voyage under 
the special protection of the Lord, by the celebration of a Mass, 
which was solemnly chitted with more method and devotion than 
one could readily imagine, for the Indians always excelled in this 
rite of our faith. The weariness of the march was relieved by 
the advantage which I had each day of thus celebrating the holy 
Sacrifice of the Mass, sometimes on the islands which were scat- 
tered about, sometimes on the banks of the rivers, but always in 
some place sufficiently retired to favor the devotion of our little 
army. It was indeed no light consolation for the ministers of 
the Lord, to hear His praise chanted in each of the difierent lan- 
guages of which there were tribes assembled there. Every day 
each nation chose for itself a convenient place where it separately 
encamped. They practised too the exercises of religion as regu- 
larly as they would have done at home in their villages, so that 
the satisfaction of the Missionaries would have been complete, if 
all the days of this campaign had been passed as innocently as 
were those of our march. 

We traversed the length of Lake Champlain, where the dex- 
terity of the Indians in fishing furnished us with an amusing 
spectacle. Standing up in the bow of the canoe, with spear in 
hand, they darted it with wonderful address, and struck the 
large sturgeons, without their little skifi's, which the least irregu- 
lar motion would have overturned, appearing to lean in the 
slightest degree either to the right or to the left. Yet useful as 
this fishing was, it was not even necessary that we should sus- 
pend our march to favor it. The fisherman alone laid aside his 
paddle, but in return he was charged to provide for the subsis- 
tence of all the others, an oflice in whose duties he fully succeeded. 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 145 

At length, after being six days on our route, we reached Fort 
Vaudreuil,* otherwise called Carellon, which had been assigned 
as the general rendezvous of our troops. Scarcely had wc begun 
to distinguish the summit of the fortifications, when our Indians 
arranged themselves in order of battle, each tribe under its own 
ensign. Two hundred canoes thus formed in beautiful order, 
furnished a spectacle which caused even the French ofl&cers to 
hasten to the banks, judging it not unworthy of their curiosity. 

As soon as I had placed my foot on land, I hastened to pay 
my respects to M. the Marquis de Montcalm, whom I had for- 
merly the pleasure to know in Paris. The sentiments of respect 
with which he honored our Order were also known to me, and on 
this occasion he received me with that aflfability which announced 
the goodness and generosity of his heart. The Abnakis, more to 
satisfy their own inclinations and their sense of duty, than to con- 
form to mere ceremonials, did not delay to present themselves at 
the quarters of the General. Their orator complimented him 
briefly as they had directed him. " My father," said he, " do not 
fear. These are not mere compliments which I come to give you. 
I know your heart ; it disdains such offerings ; it is sufficient for 
you to have merited them. Well, in so doing you render me a 
service, for I was in no little embarrassment through the vain 
endeavor to reveal all I felt. I content myself then with as- 
suring you, that these your children whom you behold, are all 
fully prepared to partake your perils, being well assured that 
they shall not delay also to share in the glory which shall follow." 
The turn of this compliment, it would seem, could hardly have 
come from a savage ; but no one could have the least doubt on 
this point, if he knew the character of mind of him who pro- 
nounced it. 

At the quarters of M. de Montcalm, I also heard of the ad- 
mirable defence which had been made a few days before by a 
[* Ticonderoga.] 
8 



146 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

Canadian officer, named M. de Saintout. He had been sent on 
a scouting expedition on Lake St. Sacrament, his party consisting 
of eleven individuals, including himself, in a single frail hark 
canoe. In doubling a point of land, he was surprised by two 
English boats, which were concealed in ambush, and commenced 
a brisk attack upon him. The parties were so unequally matched, 
that one single well-aimed volley would have decided the victory, 
and at the same time the lives of the French. M. de Saintout, 
who was a prudent man, gained in haste an island which was 
formed in the lake by a perpendicular cliff of rocks. Thither the 
enemy eagerly pursued him, but he presently damped their ar- 
dor by a discharge which he made on them with as much judg- 
ment as good fortune. The enemy, though disconcerted for 
some moments, shortly returned to the charge, but they were 
again so warmly received, that they hastened to debark on the 
opposite shore, which was within gun-shot. The combat then 
recommenced with more obstinacy than before, but success was 
ever the same, on our side. M. de Saintout perceiving that the 
enemy was in no humour to attempt an attack upon him at his 
post, and that he could not go to them without the risk of having 
his canoe sunk, determined on a retreat. He conducted it with 
coolness, as he had before defended himself with courage. He 
embarked in the presence of the English, who did not dare to 
pursue him, but contented themselves with keeping up an in- 
cessant fire. Three of our party were wounded in this rencontre, 
but only slightly, of whom M. de Saintout was one, and M. de 
G-rosbois, a cadet of the colonial troops, was killed at his post. 
The enemy by their own acknowledgment had sent out thirty- 
seven from their fort, while only seventeen returned thither. 
Blows like this excite astonishment in Europe, but here the valor 
of the Canadians has so often multiplied them, that we are rather 
surprised not to see them repeated more than once in the course 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 147 

of a single campaign. This letter in its progress will furnish a 
proof in support of this assertion. 

After having paid my respects to M. de Montcalm, I returned 
to the quarters of the Abnakis. My object was, to direct the 
orator immediately to assemble his countrymen, and to inform 
them, that during the few days which would intervene before 
their departure to attack the English fort, I would attend to their 
religious duties, and that they should prepare themselves for this 
dangerous expedition by all those steps proper to assure them- 
selves success with God. I at the same time let them know that 
my tent would be open at all times and for every one, and that I 
should always be ready, even at the peril of my life, to furnish 
them those succors which my ministry required. My offers 
were accepted. One party gave me the satisfaction of seeing 
them undergo the rite of penance. I thus disposed some of 
them to the reception of the August sacrament of our altars. It 
was on the following Sunday, the twenty-fourth of July, that they 
enjoyed this happiness. I neglected nothing which could invest 
this step with the greatest possible pomp. I solemnly chanted 
the Mass, during which I made them the first discourse in the 
Abnakis language, which I had formally composed. Its subject 
was, the obligation they were under to do honor to their religion 
by their conduct, in the presence of so many idolatrous nations, 
who either did not understand it, or else blasphemed it, and who 
had their eyes fixed on them I endeavored to present in glow- 
ing colors the motives best adapted to make an impression, nor 
did I forget to recal to their minds those perils inseparable from 
war, which their courage and valor induced them to multiply, 
rather than avoid. If the attention of an audience and their 
modest deportment could decide the question as to the effect of a 
discourse, I should have had every reason to congratulate myself 
on my feeble efforts. These exercises engaged us through most 
of the morning ; but the Indian does not count the moments 



148 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

wticli he gives to religion ; he behaves himself with propriety 
and earnestness while in our churches. But he too often finds 
cause of scandal in the liberties which the French permit them- 
selves to take while there, and the weariness which they bear im- 
pressed upon their countenances. Such is the happy disposition 
which the Indians show one day to become perfect Christians. 

These were the occupations to which I gave myself up with 
the greatest satisfaction during the time of our sojourn in the 
neighborhood of Fort Vaudreuil. It did not last long, for at the 
expiration of the third day, we received orders for our departure 
to rejoin the French army which was encamped on the high 
grounds near the Portage. This is the place where a great fall 
of water obliged us to transport by land to Lake St. Sacrament 
the stores necessary for the siege. Arrangements were accord- 
ingly made to depart, when they were arrested by a spectacle 
which attracted the attention of every one. 

They saw at a distance in a branch of the river, a little fleet 
of Indian canoes, which by their arrangement and ornaments an- 
nounced a victory. It was M. Marin, a Canadian officer of great 
merit, who was returning triumphant and covered with glory from 
an expedition with which he had been charged. At the head of 
a force of about two hundred Indians, he had been detached to 
go in the direction of Fort Lidis,* but had the courage with his 
little flying camp to attack the advanced entrenchments, and the 
good fortune to carry the principal quarter. The Indians had 
only time to bring off thirty-five scalps of the two hundred men 
they killed, but without their victory being stained by a drop of 
their own blood, or the loss of a single man. The enemy, to the 
number of three thousand men, sought in vain to have their re- 
venge, by pursuing them in their retreat, but it was made with- 

[* Generally written Lydius^ otherwise called Fort Edward, about fifteen 
miles from Fort George.] 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 149 

out any loss.* While they were busy in counting the number of 
their barbarous trophies, that is, the English scalps with which 
the canoes were adorned, we perceived on the other side of the 
river a French bark, which was bringing us five English bound 
and conducted by the Outaouacs, whose prisoners they were. 

A sight of these unhappy captives spread joy and satisfaction 
through the hearts of those who were present, but it was, for the 
most part, a ferocious and barbarous joy, which showed itself 
by fearful cries, and by steps which were sad for humanity. 
A thousand Indians drawn from the thirty-six nations who were 
united under the French standard, were present, and lined the 
bank. In an instant, without any apparent concert between 
them, we saw them rush with the greatest precipitation into the 
neighboring woods. I did not know what could be the object of 
a retreat so hasty and unexpected, but it was almost immediately 

[* In the New York Secretary of State office in Albany, are the docu- 
ments relating to our Colonial history, which were brought out during the 
past year by the historical agent, J. R. Broadhead, Esq. Among the Paris 
documents are the official despatches relating to this expedition. The af- 
fair of M. Marin is thus given in a letter of M. Doreil to the Minister of 
War, dated July 31st, 1757. 

"A detachment of 150 men, the greater part Indians, whom M. de Mont- 
calm had sent out on a scouting expedition, between Forts George and Ly- 
dius, under the conmiand of M. Marin, lieutenant in the Colonial troops, 
have struck a blow remarkable for its boldness. They arrived on the morn- 
ing of the 23rd, near Fort Lydius. At first they encountered a patrol of 
10 men, who were all killed. They then came up with the guard of 50 
men, who met with the same fate. A corps of the enemy of more than 
4000 men were arrayed in order of battle, marched forth from their en- 
trenchments, and advanced to the borders of the woods where M. Marin 
was in ambush. He kept up a fire for more than an hour, killed many of 
the enemy, and at last retired in such good order, that although he was pur- 
sued for two leagues, he lost but a single man, a Canadian. Our detach- 
ment returned on the 26th, with 32 scalps and one prisoner."' Vol. xlvi. 
p. 202.] 



150 JjeSUITS IN AMERICA. 

shown, for a moment afterwards I saw them return with every 
mark of fury, armed with clubs which they had prepared to give 
these unfortunate English a most cruel reception. I could not 
restrain my feelings at the sight of these cruel preparations. 
Tears streamed from my eyes, but my grief was nevertheless not 
inactive. I advanced, without hesitation, to encounter these 
savage brutes, in the hope of softening them ; but alas ! what 
chance had my feeble voice of being even heard amidst the tu- 
mult, and the sounds which did reach them were rendered unin- 
telligible by the difference of language, and much more by the 
ferocity of their hearts. However, I did not spare the most bit- 
ter reproaches towards certain of the Abnakis whom I met in 
my way, and the earnest air which animated my words, inclined 
them to sentiments of humanity. Confused and ashamed, they 
separated themselves from the murderous troop, casting away 
the cruel instruments they had prepared to use. But what ef- 
fect could this produce, when it was the withdrawal of a few arms 
from nearly two thousand which were determined to strike with- 
out pity ? Seeing how useless were the attempts I made, I de- 
termined to withdraw, that I might not be a witness of the 
bloody tragedy which was about to take place. I had taken some 
steps when a feeling of compassion recalled me to the bank, 
from whence T could see those unhappy victims whom they were 
preparing for the sacrifice. Their condition renewed all my sen- 
sibility. The terror with which they had been seized, had 
scarcely left them strength to hold themselves up ; their counte- 
nances cast down and marked by consternation, displayed the true 
image of death. It was indeed a question of life, or death, for 
they were about to expire under a shower of blows, unless their 
preservation came from the heart of barbarism itself, and their 
sentence should be revoked by the same persons, who seemed to 
have been the first to pronounce it. 

The French officer who commanded in the boat had seen the 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 151 

movements which were taking place on the bank ; touched by the 
commiseration so natural in an honorable man at the sight of 
unhappiness, he endeavored to awaken the same feeling in the 
hearts of the Outaouacs, who were masters of the prisoners. So 
adroitly did he manage the matter, that he at last produced 
some sensibility in their minds, and interested them in favor of 
those miserable beings. They indeed entered into his scheme 
with a zeal which must have insured its .success. No sooner was 
the boat near enough to the bank for the voice to be heard, than 
one of the Outaouacs speaking boldly, cried in a menacing tone, 
" These prisoners are mine ; I claim that you shall respect me by 
respecting what belongs to me. Let there be an end to all ill 
treatment in which what is odious must rebound upon my head." 
A hundred French ofl&cers might have spoken in these terms, 
but their speech could only have ended in drawing down insult 
on themselves, and redoubled blows on the captives ; but an In- 
dian fears one who is like him, and fears only him. Their slight- 
est disputes end in death, and therefore they occur but seldom. 
The wishes of the Outaouac were respected as soon as heard. 
The prisoners were landed without tumult and conducted to the 
fort, without even their being accompanied by the least shouting. 
They were then separated and underwent an examination, in 
which it was not necessary to resort to any artifices, to draw from 
them the disclosures which were desired. The terror from 
which they had not yet entirely recovered unloosed the tongue, 
and gave them a volubility which they apparently would not 
have had without it. One of them I visited in an apartment of 
the fort which was oq^-upicd by a friend. I gave him by signs 
those assurances which were most proper to trancpillizc his fears, 
and caused them to present him with some refreshments, which 
he seemed to receive with gratitude. 

Having thus as far as possible satisfied my compassion for the 
necessities of this miserable man, I went to hasten the embark- 



152 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

ment of my people, which took place at that very hour. The 
passage was not a long one, and two hours sufficed to accomplish 
it. The tent of the Chevalier de Levi was placed at the entrance 
of the camp. I took the liberty to present my respects to this 
nobleman, whose name announces his merits, but whose other 
claims to respect far outweigh those derived from his mere rank. 
The conversation turned on the action which had decided the fate 
of these iive Englishmen, whose perilous adventure I have just 
been relating. I was entirely unacquainted with the circum- 
stances, in which there is much that is surprising. They are as 
follows : — 

M. de Corbiese, a French officer, serving in the Colonial troops, 
had been ordered on the preceding night to cross over Lake 
St. Sacrament. His force consisted of about fifty French, and 
little more than three hundred Indians. At the dawn of day he 
discovered a body of three hundred English, detached also in that 
direction, in fifteen boats. Boats of this kind, high on the sides, 
and strong from their thickness, when placed in competition with 
the frail canoes, more than compensate for the slight superiority 
of numbers which we had on our side. Nevertheless, our people 
did not hesitate a moment to engage. The enemy appeared at 
first to accept their challenge with a good grace, but their resolu- 
tion did not last. The French and Indians, who could have no 
reasonable hope of victory except by boarding, which course was 
favored by their superiority in number, and who, on the other 
hand risked everything by engaging at a distance, endeavored at 
once to close with the enemy, notwithstanding the brisk fire they 
kept up. But the enemy no sooner saw them at hand, than terror 
caused them even to drop their arms. It ceased to be a conflict, 
and became only a flight. Of the alternatives they had, the least 
honorable, without any doubt, and what is more, the most danger- 
ous, was to attempt to gain the shore ; and yet this was the one 
which they selected. In an instant they were seen pulling in 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 153 

the greatest haste for the bank, while some, to reach there sooner, 
threw themselves into the water for the purpose of swimming. 
They flattered themselves with the prospect of safety under cover 
of the woods, but it was a scheme badly conceived, and the folly 
of which they had ever afterwards to mourn. Whatever speed 
the redoubled efl'orts of the rowers could give to these boats, even 
if it equalled all of which the skill and art of the builder had 
rendered them capable, it could not in any way approach the 
swiftness of a bark canoe. The latter sails, or rather flies, over the 
water with the rapidity of an arrow. The English, therefore, were 
almost immediately overtaken. In the first heat of the conflict 
all were massacred without mercy, all were cut to pieces. Those 
who had already gained the woods, had no better fate. The 
woods are the natural home of the Indians, and they can run 
there with the swiftness of deer. There they came up with the 
eneifiy, and cut them down separately. At length the Outaouacs, 
seeing that they had no longer an enemy to combat with, but 
only those who sufifered themselves to be slaughtered without 
resistance, thought of making some prisoners. The number 
amounted to one hundred and fifty-seven, while a hundred and 
thirty-one had been killed ; twelve only were fortunate enough to 
escape both captivity and death. The boats, ammunition, pro- 
visions, all were taken and plundered. 

After all this. Monsieur, you think, I doubt not, that a victory 
so indisputable must have cost us "dear. The fight took place on 
the water, that is, in a place entirely open ; the enemy was not 
taken unexpectedly ; he had plenty of time to make his arrange- 
ments ; he commenced the fight with a feeling of contempt, so to 
speak ; from the height of his boats he discharged his musketry 
on the feeble bark canoes, wliich a little address, or what was 
better, a little coolness, would easily have sunk with all who de- 
fended them. All this is true, and yet a success so complete was 

8* 



154 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

achieved at the cost of a single Indian wounded, whose wrist was 
injured by a shot.* 

Such was the fate of the detachment of the unfortunate M. 
Copperel, who was the commanderj and is said by general report 
to have perished in the water. The enemy referred to the disas- 
ters of that day, in terms which marked equally their grief and 
surprise. They candidly acknowledged the greatness of their 
loss. It would have been difficult indeed to disprove it in the 
slightest particular. The dead bodies of their officers and 
soldiers, some floating on the waters of Lake Saint Sacrament, 
and some already stretched on the shore, would have testified 
against their denial. As to their prisoners, the greater part were 
as yet groaning in captivity to the Chevalier de Levi. I saw 
them file ofi" in bands, escorted by their conquerors, who delighted 
with the barbarity of their triumphs, did not even show any dispo- 
sition to soften their defeat to the vanquished. In the space of 
one league, which it was necessary for me to pass to rejoin my 
Abnakis, I met very many little troops of these captives. More 
than one Indian stopped me on my way to show me his prize, and 

[* M. Doreil's letter to the Minister substantially agrees with this — " An 
English detachment composed of 350 men under the command of a colonel, 
five captains, fbur lieutenants, and one ensign were sent out from Fort George 
in 22 barges, (these barges are large boats), the object of the enemy being to cut 
off our advanced corps and to make them prisoners. About 400 of our In- 
dians, commanded by M. de Corbiere and some other colonial officers, who 
were in ambush among the islands of Lake St. Sacrament, entirely destroyed 
the party on the 26th. Only two boats were saved. The Indians have 
brought in 180 prisoners. The rest have been killed or drowned, and the 
greater part of the boats destroyed. For all this we have but one single In- 
dian slightly wounded. The English surrendered themselves, so to speak, 
without resistance." BrodheacPs Colonial DocuimrUs^ vol. XLVI. p. 207-S. 
Montcalm, in his official report, says — "I have here about 161 prisoners, 
of whom five are officers. The English have had about 160 men killed or 
drowned"— IZ/i(?. p. 204.] 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 135 

to enjoy my applause as he went along. The love of country did 
not permit me to be insensible to these successes which interested 
the nation. But misery has a claim not only in religion, but 
even in nature. These prisoners moreover presented themselves 
to me in so sad a condition, their eyes filled with tears, their faces 
covered with sweat and even with blood, and a cord around their 
necks, that at the sight, sentiments of compassion and humanity 
were excited in my breast. The ardent spirits of which their 
new masters had most freely partaken, had heated their blood, 
and irritated their natural ferocity, so that I feared every instant 
to see some prisoner, the victim of their cruelty and drunkenness, 
massacred before my eyes and falling dead at my feet. I there- 
fore scarcely dared to raise my head, for fear of encountering the 
looks of some of these miserable beings, but I was shortly after- 
wards obliged to be witness to a spectacle of a different kind, 
more horrible than any that I had yet seen. 

My tent had been placed in the middle of the encampment of 
the Outaouacs. The first object which presented itself to my eyes 
on arriving there was a large fire, while the wooden spits fixed 
in the earth gave signs of a feast. There was indeed one taking 
place. But, Heaven ! what a feast ! The remains of the body 
of an Englishman was there, the skin stripped off, and more than 
one-half the flesh gone. A moment after I perceived these inhu- 
man beings eat with famishing avidity of this human flesh ; I saw 
them taking up this detestable broth in large spoons, and apparent- 
ly without being able to satisfy themselves with it. They in- 
formed me that they had prepared themselves for this feast by 
drinking from skulls filled with human blood, while their smeared 
faces and stained lips gave evidence of the truth of the story. 
What rendered it more sad was, that they had placed very near 
them some ten Englishmen to be spectators of their infamous 
repast. The Outaouac closely resembles the Abnakis, and I 
thought that, by making some mild representation to these inhu- 



156 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

man monsters, I might gain some hold upon them. But I was 
only flattering myself. A young man, with a resolute air, took 
up the conversation, and said to me in bad French — " You have 
French taste; I have Indian: this food is good for me." He 
accompanied his remarks by the ofl'er which he made me of a 
piece of the broiled Englishman. I could make no reply to his 
argument, which was so worthy of a savage ; as to his ofl"ers, one 
may easily imagine with what horror I rejected them. 

Taught by the failure of this attempt that my efforts could 
not in any way avail the dead, I turned to the living, whose lot 
appeared to me a hundred-fold more to be deplored. As I 
approached the English, one of their number arrested my atten- 
tion. By the military ornaments with which he was still deco- 
rated, I recognized an officer. My purpose was immediately 
formed to purchase him, and thus secure for him both his liberty 
and his life. With this view I approached an aged Outaouac, 
believing that the chill of age having moderated his ferocity, I 
should find him more favorable to my designs. I extended to 
him my hand, saluting him politely, in the hope of gaining him 
to me by kindness of manner. But it was not a man with whom 
I was dealing ; it was something worse than a ferocious beast, who 
was not to be softened by these caresses. " No," said he to me, 
in a thundering and menacing tone, well calculated to fill me with 
fear, if at that moment I had been susceptible of any other senti- 
ments than those which inspired compassion and horror — " No, 
I do not at all wish your favors ; be gone." I did not think it 
by any means necessary to wait till he should repeat a compli- 
ment of this kind ; I obeyed him. 

I went to shut myself up in my tent, to surrender my mind to 
the reflections which religion and humanity were able to suggest 
under such circumstances, I had no idea of taking any measures 
to warn my Abnakis against an excess so outrageous. Although 
the example might be a dangerous rock for all these men, as far 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 157 

as their temperance and morals were concerned, yet tliey were 
incapable of going to such extremities. We can even do them 
the justice to say, that in the times when they were plunged most 
deeply in the darkness of paganism, they had never merited the 
odious name of cannibals. Their humane and docile character 
in this respect had, since that time, rendered them honorable ex- 
ceptions to the greatest part of the Indians on this continent. 
Reflections of this kind occupied me until the night was far ad- 
vanced. 

The next morning, on awakening. I supposed that no vestige of 
the repast of the previous evening would remain about my tent. 
I flattered myself that the fumes of their liquor being dissipated, 
and the excitement inseparable to action having passed off, their 
spirits would have become more settled, and their hearts more 
human. But I was acquainted with neither the genius nor the 
taste of the Outaouacs. It was through choice, through delicacy, 
through daintiness, that they nourished themselves with liuman 
flesh. Since the earliest dawn they had done nothing but recom- 
mence their execrable cookery, and now were waiting with anx- 
iety for the desired moment when they should be able to glut 
their more than canine appetite, by devouring the sad relics of 
the body of their enemy. 

I have already mentioned that there were three missionaries 
attached to the service of the Indians. During all the campaign 
our lodgings were together, our deliberations were unanimous, 
our movements uniform, and our wishes entirely agreed. This 
mutual understanding served not a little to sweeten the toils in- 
separable from a military march. After consultation we all 
agreed, that the respect due to the dignity of our holy mysteries 
would not permit us to celebrate the sacrifice of the Lamb with- 
out spot, in the very centre of barbarism. The more thesa peo- 
ple were given up to the most extravagant superstitions, would 
they be inclined to desecrate our most holy ceremonies, or even 



158 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

to draw from them materials for the embellishment of their jug- 
gleries. For this reason, we abandoned the place defiled by such 
abominations, to take refuge in the woods. I was not able to 
make this movement without separating myself a little from my 
Abnakis. It seemed as if I was authorized in doing so, and yet 
you will judge from what afterwards took place, that I had almost 
reason to regret my first place of encampment. I was no sooner 
established in my new abode, than I saw the deep desire to par- 
take of the benefits of confession renewed in the hearts of my 
neophytes. The crowd increased so much, that I was scarcely 
able to answer the demands made upon me by their eagerness. 
These occupations, joined to the other duties of my ministry, 
so entirely filled up several days, that they passed by almost 
without my perceiving it. Happy should I have been if I had 
only been obliged to attend to such worthy functions ; my life 
itself would not have been too much to pay for such an honor. 
But the consolations of the ministers of Jesus Christ are not last- 
ing here below, because success does not always attend their la- 
bors undertaken for the glory of their master. The enemies who 
conspire to defeat them are too numerous, not to enjoy at last the 
sad triumph of success. 

While many of my Abnakis in a Christian way were procur- 
ing reconciliation and grace from the Lord, others were rashly 
seeking to irritate his wrath and provoke his vengeance. Drink- 
ing is the favorite passion and the universal vice of all these Indian 
tribes, and unfortunately there are too many greedy hands who 
will pour out for them the " fire-water," in despite of laws both 
divine and human. There is no doubt but that the presence of 
the missionary, by the influence which his character gives him, 
can prevent many of these disorders. For the reasons which I 
have given above, I had removed myself a little from my people, 
so that I was separated from them by a small woods. This I 
could not think it advisable to pass through at night, to observe 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 159 

whether good order reigned in our camp, as I should have ex- 
posed myself to some untoward adventure, not only on the part 
of the Iroquois attached to the side of the English, who at the 
very gate of the camp had a few days before taken the scalp from 
one of our grenadiers, but also on the part of our own idolaters, 
on whom experience had taught me, I could not depend. Some 
young Abnakis therefore, joined with some other Indians of the 
different tribes, profited by my absence and the darkness of the 
night, to go, while all were wrapped in sleep, to obtain secretly 
some drink in the tents of the French. Once having procured 
their precious treasure, they hastened to make use of it, and soon 
their heads were entirely turned. Drunkenness among the In- 
dians is rarely quiet, but almost always blustering. These per- 
sons showed it at first by songs and dances, in a word by noise, 
until finally, they ended in blows. At the dawn of day their 
extravagances had reached their height, and this was the first 
intimation I had received, on rising, as to what was going on. I 
promptly ran to the spot where the tumult was taking place. 
Everything there was in alarm and agitation, the natural effects 
of drunkenness. But all was immediately restored to order by 
the docility of my people. I took them one after the other, fa- 
miliarly by the hand, and conducted them without resistance to 
their tent, where I ordered them to repose. 

This scandal seemed to have passed away, when a Moraigan, 
naturalized among the Abnakis and adopted by that nation, re- 
newed the scene in a manner a little more serious. After hav- 
ing some high words with an Iroquois, his companion in the de- 
bauch, they at last came to blows. The former, who was much 
the most athletic, after having felled his antagonist, rained on 
him a shower of blows, and what is worse, tore his shoulder with 
his teeth. The conflict was at its height when I arrived. I was 
able, however, to obtain no other succor than that of my own arms 
to separate the combatants, the savages mutually fearing too 



160 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

much ever to interfere, let the result be what it might, in these 
disputes among each other. But my strength was not at all 
equal to the greatness of the work I had undertaken, and the vic- 
tor was too much excited to release his prey so soon. I was tempted 
to leave these furious beings to inflict, with their own hands, a 
proper punishment for their excesses, but feared lest the scene 
might have a bloody termination by the death of one of the cham- 
pions, and therefore redoubled my efforts. By dint of shaking 
the Abnakis, he at last perceived that some one had hold of him, 
and therefore turned his head. It was not without deep shame 
that he recognized me, yet nevertheless he did not at once return 
to reason, for it took him some moments to recover himself; when 
he gave the Iroquois free space to escape, of which he availed him- 
self with a good grace. 

After having taken measures to prevent a renewal of the con- 
test, I retired more fatigued than one would believe with the in- 
cursion I had been obliged to make ; but it was necessary for me 
almost immediately to recomm.ence. I was informed that a troop 
of my warriors, assembled on the bank around the boats which 
contained the magazines of powder, were amusing themselves 
with firing their guns, in despite of the guard, and in contempt 
even of the orders, or rather prayers of the officers ; for the Indian 
is his own master and his own king, and carries everywhere with 
him his feeling of independence. I had not at this time to con- 
tend against drunkenness, but the point was to repress the youth- 
ful folly of some thoughtless people. The decision therefore was 
prompt. Imagine to yourself a crowd of school-boys dreading 
the eyes of their masters. Such in my presence were these re- 
doubtable warriors; they disappeared at my approach, to the 
great astonishment of the French. With difficulty was I able to 
arrest one, from whom I demanded, in a tone of indignation, 
whether he was tired of living, or whether he had conspired for 
our destruction ? He answered me, in the mildest possible tone, 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 161 

" No, my father." " Why then," I added, " why do you expose 
yourself to the danger of being blown into the air, and to blow us 
up with you by the explosion of the .powder ?" " Reproach us 
with ignorance," replied he, "but not with intentional wrong. 
We did not know that it was so near." Without at all wishing 
to impeach his veracity, one cannot but suspect the truth of his 
excuse ; but it was much that he was willing to descend to a justi- 
fication, and much more that he was willing to put an end to this 
dangerous sport, which was done at once. 

The inaction to which I saw our Christian Indians condemned, 
joined to their being mingled with so many idolatrous tribes, 
made me tremble, not for the steadfastness of their religious prin- 
ciples, but for their consistency of conduct. I earnestly longed 
for the day when the necessary preparations for the expedition 
being finally completed, we should be able to put ourselves in 
motion. When the mind is occupied, the heart is more safe. At 
last the desired moment arrived. The Chevalier de Levi, at the 
head of three thousand men, had commenced his march by land, 
on Friday the twenty-ninth of July, to enable him to protect 
the descent of the main body of our force, which was to go by 
water. His march had none of those facilities which are fur- 
nished in Europe by the great roads made with royal magnifi- 
cence for the accommodation of troops. Thick forests were to be 
pierced, craggy mountains scaled, and heavy marshes traversed. 
After a forced march of an entire day, it was accomplishing much 
if they found they had advanced three leagues, so that it took 
five days to get over a distance of twelve leagues. On account 
of these obstacles, which had been foreseen, this corps had pre- 
ceded us several days in its departure. It was on Sunday that 
we embarked with the Indians alone, who formed at the time a 
body of twelve hundred men by themselves, the others having 
gone by land. 

We had not advanced more than four or five leagues on the 



162 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 



lake, before we perceived evident proofs of our late victory. There 
were the abandoned English boats, which, after having floated a 
long time at the sport of the winds and waves, had at last been 
thrown upon the shore. But the most striking spectacle was a 
great number of the dead bodies of the English, extended on the 
banks, or scattered here and there through the woods. Some 
were cut to pieces, and almost all mutilated in the most frightful 
manner. What a terrible scourge did war seem to me ! It would 
have been a great consolation to me could I have procured, 
through my instrumentality, the burial of these sad relics of our 
enemies, but it was only by peculiar favor that we had been per- 
mitted to land in this bay. It was absolutely necessary too that 
we should continue our march without interruption, conformably 
to the orders which hurried us forward to report ourselves. We 
landed at night at the place which had been assigned for our 
camp. It was the side of a hill covered with brambles and 
thorns, and the haunt of a prodigious number of rattlesnakes.* 
Our Indians hunted them out, and caught many, which they 
brought to me. 

This venomous reptile, for it deserves this name, if anything 
ever did, has a head the smallness of which does not accord with 
the large size of the body ; its skin is in some places regularly 
marked with a dark spot, and then one of a pale yellow ; the rest 
of it is entirely black. It is not armed with any sting, but its teeth 
are exceedingly sharp. Its eye is lively and brilliant ; it carries 
under the tail many little scales, which it inflates prodigiously, 
and strikes violently one against the other, when it is irritated. 
The noise which is thus produced is the occasion of the name by 
which it is known. Its gall when smoked, is a specific for the 
tooth-ache. Its flesh, also smoked and reduced to powder, is 
said to be an excellent remedy for fever. Some salt, wet and 



[* Serpens h sonnettes.] 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 163 

applied to the place, is a certain cure for its bite, the venom of 
which is so prompt that it causes death in less than an hour. 

The next day, at four o'clock in the afternoon, M. do Mont- 
calm arrived with the remainder of the army. It became neces- 
sary for us to resume our route, notwithstanding the deluge of 
rain by which we were inundated. We marched almost all the 
night, until we distinguished the camp of M. de Levi, by three 
fires placed in the form of a triangle on the top of a mountain. 
We halted there, when a general council was held, after which 
the troops on land again put themselves in motion towards Fort 
George, now distant only four leagues. It was not till towards 
noon that we re-entered our canoes. We floated along slowly, 
for the purpose of giving time to the boats which carried the ar- 
tillery to follow us. It was very necessary that they should has- 
ten on. At evening we were more than a league ahead, never- 
theless, as we had reached a bay, the point of land forming which 
we could not double, without entirely discovering ourselves to 
the enemy, we determined, while waiting for new orders, to pass 
the night there. It was marked by a little action, which was the 
prelude of the siege. 

About eight o'clock, two boats sent out from the fort appeared 
on the lake. They sailed along with an assurance and a tran- 
quillity which they were soon obliged hastily to abandon. One 
of my neighbors who was on the watch for the general safety, per- 
ceived them when very far off. The news was at once imparted 
to all i-he Indians, and the preparations to receive them were 
made with promptness and in admirable silence. I was instant- 
ly summoned to provide for my safety, by gaining the shore, and 
thence the interior of the woods. It was not at all in consequence 
of a courage, out of place in a man in my position, that I turned 
a deaf ear to the advice which they had the goodness to give me ; 
but I did not believe the matter was serious, because I thought 
there were reasons for suspecting the truth of the news. Four 



164 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 



hundred "boats or canoes, whicli for the space of two days had 
covered the waters of Lake Saint-Sacrament, formed too consid- 
erable a train to have been able to escape the attentive and ob- 
servant eyes of an enemy. For this reason I had difficulty in 
persuading myself that two boats would have the temerity, I do 
not say to measure themselves with us, but even to present them- 
selves before forces so superior. My reasoning was, that it would 
only be necessary to show ourselves, to put them to flight. One 
of my friends, who was a spectator of all that was going on, warn- 
ed me again, in a tone too serious for me not to heed it, that I 
was out of place. He had reason to do so. One boat of a suf- 
ficient size contained all the missionaries, and over it was stretch- 
ed a tent, which had been furnished to shield us from the inju- 
rious effect of the atmosphere, which in this climate is quite cold 
during the nights. This pavilion, thus arranged, formed a kind 
of dark object in the air, which they easily discovered by the 
light of the stars. Curious to investigate what it could be, it 
was directly towards that spot that the English steered. To 
choose that course, and to rush on death, was almost entirely the 
same thing. Slight chance of escape indeed would there have 
been, unless by good fortune for them, a little accident had drawn 
us out some moments too soon. One of the sheep we had with 
us happened to bleat, and at this cry, which disclosed the am- 
bush, the enemy turned about and made towards the opposite 
bank, using their oars to the utmost to save themselves through 
means of the darkness and the woods. This manoeuvre being 
immediately seen, what was to be done ? Twelve hundred sav- 
ages were at once in motion, and flew to the pursuit with cries 
equally frightful by their continuance as by their number. Nev- 
ertheless, both sides seemed at first to be backward, as not a 
single shot was discharged. The pursuers not having had time to 
form, feared to draw the fire upon themselves, and besides wished 
to take prisoners. The fugitives employed their arms much more 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 165 

usefully in accelerating their flight. They had almost reached 
the opposite side, when the Indians, who perceived that their 
prey was escaping, fired, and the English, pressed almost too 
close by the foremost canoes, were obliged to return it. Then fol- 
lowed a fearful silence succeeding all this uproar. We were wait- 
ing for the news of success, when a swaggerer took it into his 
head to attempt to gain honor for himself by a fictitious account 
of the action, in which he probably had not even taken part. He 
began by assuring us that the battle had been fatal to the Abna- 
kis. This was sufficient to put me in motion. Furnished with 
oil for Extreme Unction, I threw myself with haste into a canoe 
to go and meet the combatants, entreating my guides each mo- 
ment to use diligence. But there was no necessity for it, at least 
so far as I was concerned. Encountering an Abnakis, who was 
better instructed, because he had been more brave, I learned 
that the action which had been reported as so murderous, had 
terminated in one Nipistiugue being killed and one other wound- 
ed while boarding. I did not wait for the rest of his account, 
but hastened to rejoin my people, to yield my place to M. Matha- 
vet, missionary of the Nipistingue tribe. I arrived by water at 
the same time that M. de Montcalm, who at the sound of the 
musketry had landed a little below, reached the spot by coming 
through the woods. He learned that I had just come from as- 
certaining the state of things, and therefore addressed himself to 
me for information. My Abnakis, whom I recalled, gave him a 
short account of the combat. The darkness of the night did not 
permit them to know the loss on the side of the enemy, but they 
had seized their boats and made three prisoners. The rest were 
wandering scattered through the woods. M. de Montcalm, 
charmed with this detail, retired to make arrangements, with his 
accustomed prudence, for the operations of the next day. 

The morning had scarcely begun to dawn, when a party of the 
Nipistingue tribe, proceeded with the funeral rites of their 



166 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

brother, killed during the action of the preceding night, and who 
had died in the errors of paganism. His obsequies were cele- 
brated with all pomp and savage splendor. The dead body had 
been arrayed in all its ornaments, or rather overloaded with all 
the trinkets that the most unusual degree of pride would be able 
to employ under circumstances so sad in themselves. Collars of 
porcelain, silver bracelets, pendants for the ears and the nose, 
magnificent dresses, all had been lavished on him. They had 
even called in the aid of paint and vermilion, to cover up, under 
these brilliant colors, the 'pallid hue of death, and to give to his 
countenance an air of life which it did not in reality possess. 
They had not been forgetful of any of the decorations of an 
Indian warrior. A gorget, or neck-piece, bound with a red rib- 
bon, hung negligently on his breast ; his gun was resting on his 
arm, the tomahawk at his belt, the pipe in his mouth, the lance 
in his hand, and the kettle, filled with provisions, at his side. 
Clothed in this warlike and animated array, they had seated him 
on an eminence covered with grass, which served him for his bed 
of state. 

The Indians ranged in a circle about the dead body, re- 
garded it for some moments in a .solemn silence, which did not 
badly convey the idea of grief This was broken by the orator, 
who pronounced the funeral oration for the dead. Then suc- 
ceeded the chants and dances, to the sound of a tabor which is 
hung round with little bells. In all this there was an indes- 
cribable air of sadness, which agreed well with the melancholy 
ceremonial. At length the funeral rites were ended by the in- 
terment of the dead, near whom they took good care to bury a. 
suflGicient supply of provisions, for fear, without doubt, that for 
want of nourishment he might die a second time. I do not at 
all give these things as the testimony of an eye-witness ; the 
presence of a missionary would scarcely be in accordance with 
these kinds of spectacles, having their origin in superstition, and 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 167 

adopted by a stupid credulity. I give the account which I re- 
ceived from some spectators. 

The bay however in which we were moored, resounded on all 
sides with the noise of war. Everything there was in motion 
and action. Our artillery, which consisted of thirty-two pieces 
of cannon and five mortars, placed on some platforms, which 
were borne on boats fastened together, led the way. In passing 
the point of land which had concealed us from the view of the 
enemy, they took care to salute the fort by a general discharge. 
This at the time was nothing but mere ceremony, but it an- 
nounced more serious matters. The rest of the little fleet fol- 
lowed, but slowly. Already a body of the Indians bad formed 
their camp in the rear of Fort George, or on the road to Fort 
Lydis, to cut off all communication between the two English 
forts. The corps of the Chevalier de Levi, occupied the defiles 
of the mountains, which led to the place designated for our land- 
ing. Favored by these measures, which were planned with so 
much wisdom, our descent was made without opposition, a good 
half league below the fort. The enemy however, had too much 
at home to employ them, to allow of their leaving there to put 
obstacles in our way. They seemed to have been not in the 
least expecting a siege, though I cannot imagine from what 
source their confidence arose. The environs of their forts were 
occupied by a multitude of tents still standing at the time of 
our arrival, and we saw there a quantity of barracks which were 
well adapted to aid the besiegers. It became necessary there- 
fore for them to clear off all these things which were without, to " 
take down the tents, and to burn the barracks. These move- 
ments it was not possible for them to effect, without enduring 
constant discharges on the part of the Indians, always ready to 
profit by these advantages which were afforded them. Their fire 
indeed would have been much more lively, and more fatal, if 
another object had not drawn off part of their attention. Some 



168 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

Korses and herds of cattle, whicli the besieged had not had time 
to place under cover, were wandering about on the low grounds 
which were situated in the neighborhood of the fort. For a 
time, therefore, the chase of these animals furnished the Indians 
with occupation. A hundred and fifty of the cattle either killed 
or taken, and fifty horses, were at first the fruits of this petty 
warfare ; but these were only, as it were, the preliminaries and 
the preparatory steps for the siege. 

Fort George was a square, flanked by four bastions ; the cur- 
tains were strengthened with stakes ; the trenches were sunk to 
the depth of from eighteen to twenty feet ; the scarp and eoun- 
terscarp were shelving and covered with shifting sand ; the walls 
were built of large pine trees which had been felled, and sus- 
tained by stakes which were extremely massive, and from whence 
extended a platform of earth from fifteen to eighteen feet wide, 
which they had taken care to cover entirely with gravel. From 
four to five hundred men defended it by the aid of nineteen can- 
non, of which two were thirty-six pounders, the rest of less 
calibre, and also four or five mortars. The place was not pro- 
tected by any other exterior work, except by a fortified entrench- 
ment surrounded by palisades, which were strengthened by heaps 
of stones. The garrison within it consisted of seventeen hun- 
dred men, and continually recruited that of the fort. The prin- 
cipal strength of this entrenchment consisted in its situation, 
which commanded all around it, and was inaccessible to artillery 
except on the side, on account of the mountains and morasses 
which lined the different avenues leading to it. 

Such was Fort George according to the information I have 
gained of these places since its surrender. It was not possible 
to invest it and block up all the passages. Six thousand French 
or Canadians and seventeen hundred Indians, which constituted 
all our force, were by no means equal to the immense extent of 
ground which it would have been necessary to encompass to ac- 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 169 

complish that object. Twenty thousand men would scarcely 
have been sufficient for the purpose. The enemy had, therefore, 
always the benefit of one back-door to slip into the woods, which 
would have been a useful resource if the Indians had not been 
immediately before them ; but rarely did they escape their hands 
when taking this road. Their quarters were, besides, on the 
Lydis road, so close in the neighborhood of the woods, and where 
they were accustomed so often to send out scouting parties, that 
to seek an asylum there would have been only to risk one's life. 
At a little distance were the lodges of the Canadians, placed on 
the summits of the mountains, and always near enough to assist 
them. Then the regular troops who had come from France, to 
whom properly belonged the labors of the siege, occupied the 
borders of the woods very near the ground on which it was 
necessary that the trench should be opened. The camp of re- 
serve followed, furnished with sufficient forces to protect it from 
the danger of any insult. 

These arrangements being made, the Marquis de Montcalm 
caused propositions to be made to the enemy, which, had they 
been accepted, would have saved much blood and many tears. 
It was very much in these terms that the letter of summons was 
written, which was addressed to M. Moreau, commander of the 
place in the name of his Britannic Majesty. " Sir, I have arrived 
with sufficient force to take the place which you hold, and to cut 
off all succors which can possibly come to you from any quarter. 
I number in my train a crowd of Indian tribes, whom the least 
effusion of blood will enrage to an extent which will forever pre- 
vent them from entertaining any sentiments of moderation or 
clemency. The love of humanity has therefore induced me to 
summon you to surrender at a time when it will not be impos- 
sible for me to induce them to agree to a capitulation honorable 
to you and useful for all. I have, &c." signed, Montcalm. 
The bearer of this letter was M. Fontbranc, Aid de camp of M. 

8 



170 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

de Levi. He was received by the English officers, with many of 
whom he was acquainted, with that politeness and attention with 
which the laws of honor never dispense, when the war takes place 
between honorable men. But this favorable reception decided 
nothing with regard to the surrender of the place, as appeared by 
the answer. It was as follows : " Monsieur, the General Mont- 
calm, I am obliged to you, for my part, for the" courteous offers 
you have made ; but I cannot accept them : I have little fear of 
your Indian forces. Besides, I have under my orders soldiers 
who are determined, like myself, to die or to conquer. I have, 
&c," signed, Moreau. 

The haughtiness of this answer was shortly afterwards pub- 
lished amidst the roar of a general discharge of the enemy's 
artillery. It was very desirable that we should be in a condition 
to give an immediate reply, but before we could be able to es- 
tablish a single battery, it was necessary for us to transport our 
cannon a good half league over the rocks and through the woods. 
But owing to the voracity of the Indians, we were not able in 
this work to call in the aid of any of our beasts of burden. 
Tired, they said, of salt meat, they had no scruples a few days 
before in seizing them, to regale themselves, without consulting 
anything but their appetites. But in default of this aid, so many 
arms animated by courage and by zeal towards our sovereign, 
applied themselves with so good a grace to the labor, that all 
obstacles were shortly cleared away and vanquished, and the 
business itself carried through to its perfection. 

During all these movements, I was lodged near the hospital, 
where I hoped to be at hand to give to the dying and the dead 
the appropriate aid of my ministry. I remained there for some 
time without receiving the least news of my Indians. This 
silence troubled me ; I had a great desire to assemble them yet 
once more, to enable them to profit by the perilous circumstances 
in which they were, and to lead them, if it were possible, to those 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 171 

feelings which were in accordance with their religion. With this 
view I determined to go and seek them. The journey had its 
difficulties and its dangers, besides its length. It was necessary 
for me to pass in the neighborhood of the trench, where a soldier 
busy in wondering at the great effect of a cannon ball on a tree, 
was shortly after himself, at only a few paces distance from me, 
the victim of his indiscretion. In pursuing my route, I will 
acknowledge to you, that I was struck with the air with which 
the French and Canadians bore themselves, in the midst of 
the painful toils and dangers which occupied them. To see the 
joy with which they transported to the trench the fascines and 
gabions, you would have taken them for persons invulnerable to 
the active and continual fire of the enemy. Such conduct an- 
nounces clearly their bravery and love for their country ; and 
this is the character of the nation. I went through all the quar- 
ters, without finding any of my Abnakis except a few groups 
dispersed here and there, so that I was obliged to retrace my 
steps, without gaining anything but the merit of my good inten- 
tions. Thus separated from my people, I had not the opportunity 
of being of much benefit to them ; but my services were at least 
of some use in favor of a Moraigan prisoner, whose tribe is in the 
interests and almost entirely under the rule of England. He 
was a man whose figure assuredly possessed neither dignity nor 
grace. A head enormous in size, with little eyes, excessive cor- 
pulence united with a short body, legs thick and stumpy, all these 
traits with some others of the same kind, certainly entitled him 
to a place among the deformed. But to be thus unfortunate in 
appearance, does not at the same time deprive him of his claim 
to human nature, that is to say, it does not diminish his right to 
the attention and regards of Christian charity. He was indeed 
not less the victim of his unprepossessing appearance than of his 
bad fortune. Bound to the trunk of a tree, where his grotesque 
figure excited the curiosity of all who passed, hootings were at 



172 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

first not spared, but bad treatment succeeded, until at last a blow 
rudely given almost tore one of his eyes from his head. This 
proceeding shocked me ; I came to the aid of the afflicted, and 
standing by him I drove off all the spectators in a tone of autho- 
rity, which without doubt I should never have dared to assume, if 
I had been less sensibly touched by his misfortunes. I stood 
sentinel by his side during a part of the day, and at last succeed- 
ed so well that I was able to interest these savages (his masters), 
in his favor, so that there was no further need of my presence to 
free him from persecution. I do not know whether he was very 
sensible of my services ; at least, a glance of his dark eye was all 
that I could draw from him. But independent of all consi- 
derations of religion, I was well repaid by the mere pleasure of 
having succored one in misfortune. There were never want- 
ing indeed some whose fate was equally to be deplored. Each 
day the activity and bravery of the Indians increased the num- 
ber of prisoners, thtit is to say, of those who were doomed to 
misery. It was not possible for the enemy to stir a single step 
from the place, without exposing themselves either to captivity or 
death, so much were the Indians on the alert. You can judge of 
this by a single incident. An English woman determined to go 
and gather some vegetables in the kitchen gardens, almost con- 
tiguous to the trench of the place. Her hardihood cost her dear ; 
for an Indian, concealed in a square of cabbages, perceived her, 
and with his gun struck her down on the spot. The enemy had 
no means of recovering and carrying oiF the dead body, and the 
conqueror^ always concealed, remained sentinel through the day, 
and took away with him the scalp. 

Nevertheless, all the Indian tribes began to grow weary on ac- 
count of the silence of our great guns, as they called our cannon : 
they did not wish longer to take upon themselves the whole bur- 
den of the war, so that to content them, it was necessary to hasten 
the trench and to erect there our first battery. The first time it 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 173 



played, such were the cries of joy that all the mountains resound- 
ed with the echoes. During the whole course of the siege, it was 
never necessary to make any great movement to learn the success 
of our artillery. The cries of the Indians at any time carried 
the intelligence to all parts of our camp. 

I had been thinking seriously of abandoning my quarters, and 
the inaction to which I was condemned while there, by reason of 
my distance from my neophytes, determined me to do so. But 
before the change was made, we were forced to suffer a great 
alarm. The frequent journeys which during the day the enemy 
had made to their boats, had given rise to a suspicion that they 
were preparing some decisive stroke. The report had been 
spread, that their design was to burn our provisions and muni- 
tions of war, and M. de Launay, Captain of the Grenadiers in a 
Regiment of France, was therefore appointed to watch with the 
guard over the boats in which they were deposited. The arrange- 
ments he made were so skilful, that it is almost to be regretted 
that the enemy did not show themselves. These alarms having 
passed over, I rejoined my Abnakis, not to be separated from 
them again during the whole course of the campaign. Nothing 
worthy of note occurred during some days, except the prompt- 
ness and rapidity with which the works of the trench advanced. 
The second battery was established two days afterwards. This 
was a new fete which the Indians celebrated in a warlike way. 
They were always about our artillery men, whose dexterity they 
much admired. But their admiration was neither idle nor with- 
out its use. They were willing to do anything to make them- 
selves useful, and determined even to become gunners. One 
among them particularly distinguished liimself After having 
himself pointed the cannon, he directed it against the very angle 
of the fort which had been assigned to him as a mark. But he 
declined to repeat the experiment, notwithstanding the solicita- 
tions of the French, alleging as the reason of his refusal, that 



174 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

having reached in his attempt that degree of perfection to which 
he aspiredj he did not wish to hazard his reputation in a second 
trial. 

But their chief cause of astonishment was the covered ways 
forming the different branches of the trench, which like subterra- 
nean roads are so useful to protect the assailants from the cannon 
of the besieged. They examined with the most eager curiosity 
the manner in which the French grenadiers labored to give these 
works the degree of perfection which they required. Instructed 
by seeing, they shortly began to exercise their own hands, in the 
practice. They might be seen armed with pick-axes, marking 
out a branch of the trench towards the fortified embankment, the 
attack of which had fallen to them in the division. They pushed 
them so far forward, that they were shortly within gun-shot. 
M. de Veillers, brother of M. de Jamonville, an officer whose 
name alone is a eulogy, profited by these advances, to attack the 
outworks of the entrenchment at the head of a Canadian corps. 
The action was warm, a long time disputed, and deadly to the 
enemy. They were driven from their outposts, and we have rea- 
son to believe that the grand entrenchments would have been 
taken that very day, if their capture could have decided the 
surrender of the place. Each day was thus signalized by some 
brilliant exploit on the part of the French, the Canadians, and 
the Indians. 

The enemy however always sustained themselves by the hope 
of a speedy succor. A little incident which happened under 
those circumstances, ought to liave diminished their confidence. 
Our scout encountered in the woods three couriers sent out from 
Fort Lydis ; they killed the first, captured the second, while the 
third saved himself by his swiftness in running. They possessed 
themselves of a letter inserted in a hollow musket ball, so well 
concealed on the body of the dead, that it had escaped the re- 
searches of all the rest but those of a soldier who happened to be 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 175 

acquainted with these kinds of tricks in war. The letter was 
signed by the Commander of Fort Lydis, and addressed to that 
of Fort George. It contained in substance the deposition of a 
Canadian, taken prisoner the first night of our arrival. Accord- 
ing to this declaration, our army amounted to eleven thousand 
men, and the body of Indians to two thousand, while our artillery 
was most formidable. He was mistaken in this estimate, for our 
forces were amplified far beyond the truth. This error in calcu- 
lation was not however to be attributed to fraud or deceit, which 
although in a case like this useful to the interests of the country, 
could not be justified in the judgment of an honorable man, even 
the most prejudiced and patriotic. Until this war the greatest 
number of the Canadian force had scarcely exceeded eight hun- 
dred men ; surprise and astonishment increased the size of things 
to eyes which were little accustomed to estimate great objects. 
I was witness, in the course of the campaign, of mistakes of this 
kind which were much greater. The commander of Fort Lydis 
concluded his letter by informing his colleague, that the interests 
of the King his master did not permit him to weaken his post, 
and that he must therefore capitulate, and obtain conditions as 
advantageous as possible. 

M. de Montcalm did not think he could make a better use of 
this letter, than to forward it to its address by the same courier 
who had fallen alive into our hands. He received in return from 
the English officer, his thanks, with an expression of the modest 
hope, that the same acts of politeness might for a long time take 
place between them. An equal compliment, whether he used the 
expression in jest, or he thus promised a long resistance. The 
actual condition of the place however did not predict this result. 
One part of their batteries was dismounted and rendered unser- 
viceable by the success of ours, fear had spread among the besieged, 
so that they no longer acted as soldiers except by dint of giving 
them ardent spirits, while the frequent desertions announced its 



176 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

approaching fall. Such was at least the general opinion of the 
deserters, of whom the number would have "been much more con- 
siderable than it was, if the armed savages had not multiplied 
the perils of such a step. 

Among those who came to give himself up to us, was one, the 
subject of a neighboring nation, which was our faithful ally, who 
afforded me the sweet consolation of preparing the way for his 
approaching reconciliation to the Church. I went to visit him at 
the hospital, where he was confined with his wounds. In the 
beginning of the conversation, I learned that it was not difficult 
to induce him to receive in good faith the dogmas of our true 
religion, while the heart was in a situation to be no longer sensi- 
bly affected by the deceitful enticements of human passions. 

I had scarcely returned from this expedition, which had cost 
me a walk of three leagues, but whose pains were well alleviated 
by the motives which had animated it, and the success with which 
they had been crowned, when I perceived a general movement in 
all quarters of our camp. Each corps was in motion, French, 
Canadian, and Indian — all were running to arms, and all were 
preparing for the combat. The news of the arrival of the succors 
so long expected by the enemy, had produced this sudden and 
general movement. In these moments of alarm, M. de Montcalm, 
with a coolness which showed the general, was providing for the 
security of the trenches, for the service of our batteries, and for 
the defence of our boats. He then withdrew, to go and place 
himself at the head of the army. 

I was sitting quietly at the entrance of my tent, from whence 
I could see our troops defile, when an Abnakis came to arouse 
me from my tranquillity. Without any formality he thus ad- 
dressed me : " My father, you have given us your word, that even 
at the peril of your life, you will not hesitate to furnish us the aid 
of your ministry. Can our wounded come to seek you here over 
the mountains which separate you from the place of combat? "We 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 177 

go, and we await the effect of these promises." An address so 
energetic rendered me forgetful of my fatigues. Setting out, I 
increased my speed, I passed beyond the regular troops, and at 
last, after a forced march, arrived on the ground, where my peo- 
ple, at the head of all the forces, were awaiting the conflict. Im- 
mediately I deputed some among them to assemble those who 
were dispersed about. I prepared myself to suggest to them 
those religious acts which were proper under the circumstances, 
and to give them a general absolution on the approach of the 
enemy; but they did not appear. M. de Montcalm, not to lose 
the benefit of so many movements, determined on a stratagem 
which might bring on the engagement which we had come to seek 
with so much trouble. He proposed to order the French and the 
Canadians together, to make a feint, while the Indians concealed 
in the woods should face the enemy, who would not fail to make a 
vigorous sortie. The expedient proposed to our Iroquois was an 
admirable invention, but they objected, on the ground that the 
day was too far advanced. The rest of the savages had in vain 
appealed from this judgment ; the excuse was judged of sufficient 
weight, and was accepted ; thus each returned to his post without 
having seen anything but the preparation for battle. At length, 
on the next day, being the Vigil of St. Laurence, the seventh day 
after our arrival, the trench having been pushed as far as the 
gardens around the fort, they prepared to establish our third and 
last battery. Its nearness to the fort gave us reason to hope, that 
in three or four days they would be able to make a general 
assault, by means of the breach, which would then be of sufficient 
size. But the enemy spared us the labor and danger, for they 
hoisted the French flag, and demanded terms of capitulation. 

We now come to the surrender of the place, and the bloody 
catastrophe which followed. I doubt not but every corner of 
Europe has resounded with the news of this sad scene, as 
an outrage which perhaps recoiled upon the nation itself, and 

9* 



178 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

branded it with dishonor. Your impartiality will enable you to 
judge in a moment, whether so flagrant an imputation could bo 
derived from any source but ignorance or malignity. I shall only 
mention those facts, the publicity and truth of which are so in- 
contestable, that without any fear of contradiction, I can sustain 
them by the testimony even of the English officers, who have 
been the witnesses and the victims. The Marquis de Montcalm, 
before he would listen to any terms, judged it right to take the 
opinion of all the Indian nations, for the purpose of conciliating 
them by this condescension, and rendering the treaty inviolable 
by their agreement. He therefore assembled all the chiefs, to 
whom he communicated the terms of capitulation, which granted 
the enemy the right of marching out of the place with the honors 
of war, and imposed upon them, besides the obligation of not serv- 
ing during eighteen months against His Most Christian Majesty, 
that also of setting at liberty all the Canadians taken prisoners 
during this war. All these articles were universally applauded, 
and furnished with this seal of general approbation, the treaty 
was signed by the Generals of the two crowns. In consequence 
the French army in battle array advanced towards the place, to 
take possession in the name of His Most Christian Majesty, while 
the English troops, arrayed in beautiful order, marched out to go 
and shut themselves up till the next day in their entrenchments. 
Their march was not marked by any contravention of the laws 
of nations. But the Indians did not delay to strike their blow. 
During the military ceremony which accompanied the taking 
possession, they had penetrated into the place in crowds through 
the embrasures of the cannon, for the purpose of proceeding to 
the pillage, which it had been agreed to give up to them ; but 
they did not confine themselves to pillage. There were still re- 
maining in the casemates some sick persons whose condition had 
not allowed them to follow their countrymen in the honorable re- 
treat which had been granted to their valor. These were there- 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 179 

fore the first victims on whom they threw themselves without 
pity, and sacrificed to their bloodthirstiness. I was a witness of 
this spectacle. I saw one of these barbarians come forth from 
the casemates, which nothing but the most insatiate avidity for 
blood could have induced him to enter, for the infected atmos- 
phere which exhaled from it was insupportable. He carried in 
his hand a human head, from whence streams of blood were flow- 
ing, and which he paraded forth as if it had been the most valu- 
able prize he had been able to seize. 

But this was only a slight prelude to the cruel tragedy of the 
morrow. Early in the morning the Indians began to assemble 
about the entrenchments, demanding of the English, goods, pro- 
visions, in a word everything valuable which their greedy eyea 
could perceive : but these demands were made in a tone which 
announced that a thrust of the spear would be the price of a re- 
fusal. Nor were these requirements rejected by the English. 
They undressed, they stripped themselves, they reduced them- 
selves to nothing, to purchase at least their lives by this surren- 
der of everything. This compliance should have softened the 
savages, but their heart is not like that of any other human 
being ; you may say, that naturally it is the very seat of inhu- 
manity. Nothing that had been done rendered them less dis- 
posed to go to the most severe extremes. A corps of the French 
troops, consisting of four hundred men, appointed to protect the 
retreat of the enemy, arrived and arranged themselves in haste. 
The English commenced filing out. Woe to those who closed 
the march, or to the stragglers whom illness or any other reason 
separated ever so little from the main body ! They were as good 
as dead, and their lifeless bodies soon strewed the ground, and 
covered the circuit of the entrenchments. This butchery, which 
at first was only the work of some few savages, became the signal 
which transformed them all into so many ferocious beasts. They 
discharged right and left heavy blows with their hatchets on 



180 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

those who came within their reach. The massacre however was 
not of any duration, nor was it by any means as considerable as 
so much fury would have seemed to give reason to fear ; it did 
not exceed forty or fifty men. The patience of the English in 
thus being contented to bow their heads to the weapons of their 
xecutioners had the effect of shortly stopping the slaughter, but 
this did not turn the savages either to reason or equity. With 
fearful cries they engaged themselves in making prisoners. 

I arrived while these things were going on, and I do not 
think that any one could partake of human nature, and remain 
insensible in such sad circumstances. The son snatched from a 
father's arms, the daughter torn from the bosom of her mother, 
the husband separated from his wife, the officers stripped to their 
shirts, without respect for their rank or for decency, a crowd of 
unhappy beings who were running about at random, some to- 
wards the woods, others towards the tents of the French, these 
towards the fort, those towards places which seemed to promise 
them an asylum ; such were the pitiable objects which presented 
themselves to my eyes. Nevertheless, the French were not by 
any means indolent spectators, or insensible to this catastrophe. 
The Chevalier de Levi ran in all directions where the tumult 
seemed most violent, to endeavor to remedy it, with a courage 
animated by the kindness so natural to his illustrious blood. A 
thousand times he faced death, which, notwithstanding his birth 
and his virtues, he could not have escaped, if a particular provi- 
dence had not watched over the safety of his life, and arrested 
the savage arms already raised to strike him. The French and 
Canadian officers imitated his example with a zeal worthy of the 
humanity which has always characterized the nation, but the 
great body of our troops, occupied in guarding our batteries and 
the fort, was by its distance entirely prevented from rendering 
him any assistance. And what avail were four hundred men 
against about fifteen hundred furious savages, who could scarcely 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 181 



distinguish us from the enemy ? One of our sergeants who had 
opposed himself bravely to their violence, was struck to the earth 
by the blow of a spear. One of our French officers, as the re- 
ward of the same zeal, received a severe wound which brought 
him to the borders of the grave. Besides, in this moment of 
alarm, one scarcely knew to which side to turn. Those very 
measures which seemed to be most dictated by prudence, ended 
in disastrous and unfortunate results. 

M. de Montcalm, who, on account of the distance of his tent, 
did not learn till a late hour what was going on, at the very first 
news of this occurrence repaired to the spot, with a speed which 
marked the goodness and generosity of his heart. He multiplied 
himself, he seemed endowed with ubiquity, he was everywhere ; 
prayers, menaces, promises, were used, he tried everything, and 
at last resorted to force. He thought it was due to the birth and 
the merit of Colonel Yonn, to wrest by authority and with violence, 
his nephew from the hands of an Indian ; but, alas ! his deliver- 
ance cost the lives of a number of prisoners whom their tyrants 
massacred immediately through the fear of a similar act of 
rigor. The tumult nevertheless was constantly on the increase, 
when some one happily thought of crying to the English, who 
formed a considerable body, to increase their speed. This forced 
march had its effect. The Indians, partly on account of the 
uselessness of pursuit, and partly because they were satisfied 
with their prizes, began to retire, until the few who remained 
were easily dispersed. The English, without interruption, con- 
tinued their route to Fort Lydis, where they arrived at first to 
the number of three or four hundred. I am ignorant of the 
number of those who having gained the woods, were so happy as 
to reach the place by aid of the cannon, which they took care to 
fire during several days to guide them. 

The rest of the garrison however had not all perished by the 
sword, neither were they groaning under a load of chains. 



182 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

Many had found safety in the tents of the French or in the fort. 
It was thither that 1 repaired, after the disorders were in some 
degree over. A crowd of weeping females came to surround 
me. They threw themselves at my knees, they kissed the bot- 
tom of my robe, uttering from time to time lamentable cries 
which pierced my heart. It was not in my power to dry up the 
source of their tears ; they demanded again their sons, their 
daughters, their husbands, whose removal they deplored. Could 
I restore these to them ? But at least I had an opportunity which 
just then offered itself to diminish the number of these miser- 
able beings, and I embraced it with avidity. A French officer 
informed me that a Huron at that very time in the camp, had in 
his possession an infant of six months, whose death was certain 
if I did not immediately hasten to its rescue. I did not for a 
moment hesitate. I ran in haste to the cabin of the savage, in 
whose arms I saw the innocent victim, who was tenderly kissing 
the hands of his spoiler, and playing with some collars of porce- 
lain which he wore. The sight gave new ardor to my zeal. I 
began by flattering the Huron with all the praises which truth 
enabled me to bestow on the valor of his nation. He saw my 
object at once. " Hold," said he to me, very civilly, '• do you 
see this infant ? I have not by any means stolen it : I found it 
left behind in haste ; you want it, but you shall not have it." In 
reply to all that I could urge with regard to the uselessness of 
his prisoner, and its certain death for want of the nourishment 
proper for its tender age, he produced some fat with which to 
feed it ; adding, that after all he should find, in case of its death, 
some corner of ground in which to bury it, and that then I 
should be free to give it my blessing. I replied to his speech by 
the offer to give him a sufficiently large sum in silver if he 
would surrender up his little captive, but he persisted in his re- 
fusal. He finally lowered his terms to the demand of another 
English captive in exchange. If he had made no farther dimi- 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 1S3 

nution in his requirements, it would have been settled with re- 
gard to the infant's life. I thought indeed that its sentence of 
death was pronounced, when I saw the Huron holding a consul- 
tation with his companions ; for until then the conversation had 
been carried on in French, which he understood. This parley 
disclosed a ray of hope to my eyes ; nor was I disappointed. 
The result was, that the infant should be given to me, if I 
would deliver to him in return the scalp of an enemy. The 
proposition however did not at all embarrass me. " It shall be 
forthcoming shortly," I replied to him, rising, " if you are a 
man of honor." 

Departing with haste to the camp of the Abnakis, I demanded 
of the first person I met, whether he had any scalps, and whether 
he wished to do a favor to gratify me. I had every reason to be 
pleased with his complaisance, for he untied his pouch and gave 
me my choice. Provided with one of these barbarous trophies, I 
carried it off in triumph, followed by a crowd of French and Ca- 
nadians, curious to know the issue of the adventure. Joy seemed 
to furnish me with wings, and in a moment I had rejoined my 
Huron. "See," said I, in meeting him, "see your payment." 
" You are right," he replied, " it is indeed an English scalp, for 
it is red." This is in truth the color which ordinarily distin- 
guishes the English colonists in these countries. " Well ! there 
is the infant, carry it away, it belongs to you." I did not give 
him time to retract, but immediately took the unfortunate little 
being in my hands. As it was almost naked, I wrapped it in my 
robe, but it was not accustomed to be carried by hands as little 
used to this business as mine, and the poor infant uttered its 
cries, which taught me as much my own awkwardness as its suf 
ferings. I consoled myself however, with the hope of presently 
calming it. by placing it in more tender hands. 

I arrived at the fort, and at the sound of its feeble cries all the 
women ran towards me. Each one flattered herself with the 



184 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

hope of recovering the object of her maternal tenderness. They 
eagerly examined it, but nteither the eyes nor the heart of any 
one recognized in it her child. They therefore retired again to 
one side, to give anew free course to their lamentations and com- 
plaints. I found myself placed in no little embarrassment by 
this retreat. Being four or five leagues distant from every 
French habitation, how could I procure nourishment for an in- 
fant of so tender an age ? I was absorbed in my reflections, 
when I saw an English officer pass who happened to be well ac- 
quainted with the French language. I addressed him therefore 
in a firm tone : " Sir, I have just ransomed this young infant 
from slavery, but it will not escape death, unless you direct some 
one of these women to take the place of its mother, and nurse it, 
until I shall be able to provide for it otherwise." The French 
officers who were present supported my request. With that he 
spoke to the English women. One of them offered to render it 
this service, if I would be willing to answer for her life and that 
of her husband, to charge myself with their support, and to see 
that they were conveyed to Boston from Montreal. I immediate- 
ly accepted the proposition, and requested M. du Bourg-la-Marque 
to detach three grenadiers to escort my English to the Cana- 
dian camp, where I flattered myself that I should find means to 
fulfil my new engagements. This worthy officer responded with 
kindness to my request. 

I was about quitting the fort, when the father of the infant 
was found, wounded by the bursting of a bomb, and utterly un- 
able to succor himself He could not therefore but acquiesce 
with pleasure in the arrangements I had made for the security of 
his child, and I departed, accompanied by my English, under the 
safeguard of three grenadiers. After a march of two hours, 
painful though happy, we arrived at the quarter where the Cana- 
dians were posted. I cannot undertake to portray to you faith- 
fully the new occurrence which here crowned my enterprise, for 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 185 



it is one of those events which a person flatters himself in vain 
with the hope of presenting true to nature. "We had scarcely 
reached the entrance of the camp, when a shrill and animated cry 
suddenly struck my ears. "Was it a cry of grief? or was it of 
joy ? It was all this, and much more, for it was that of tho 
mother, who from a distance had recognized her child, so keen 
are the eyes of maternal love. She ran with a precipitation 
which showed that this was indeed her child. She snatched it 
from the arms of the English woman with an eagerness which 
seemed as if she feared that some one might a second time de- 
prive her of it. It is easy to imagine to what transports of jo;^ 
she abandoned herself, particularly when she was assured of the 
life and the freedom of her husband, to whom she thought that 
she had bid a final adieu. Nothing was wanting to complete 
their happiness but their reunion, and this I thought should be 
the perfection of my work. 

I again directed my course back to the fort. My strength was 
scarcely sufficient to carry me thither, for it was more than an 
hour after the middle of the day, and I had not as yet taken any 
nourishment. I was therefore very near falling through faint- 
ness on my arrival there, but the politeness and charity of the 
French officers presently placed me in a condition to continue the 
good work. I went in search of the Englishman in question, but 
my enquiries were for some hours without success. The pain of 
his wounds had obliged him to retire to the most solitary place 
in the fort, and there I at last found him. I had made arrange- 
ments to have him carried away, when his wife and child again 
made their appearance. Orders had been given to collect all the 
English, who were dispersed in the difi"erent quarters, to the 
number of nearly five hundred, and to conduct them to the fort, 
that we might provide more surely for their support until it 
should be possible to send them to Orange, as was happily done 
some days afterwards. The demonstrations of joy were renewed 



186 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

at their meeting, with much more earnestness than before. Ex- 
pressions of gratitude were not wanting to myself, not only on 
the part of those most interested, but again from the English offi- 
cers, who had the goodness to reiterate them more than once. 
As to their offers of service, I cared not for them except as show- 
ing the sentiments from which they had their origin. A person 
in my condition has no recompense to look for except from God 
alone. 

I should not here pass over in silence the reward of her charity 
which the other English woman received, who had been obliged to 
act as mother to the child in the absence of the true mother. Pro- 
vidence, through the intervention of M. Picquet, brought about 
the recovery of her own child, which had been unjustly taken 
from her. 

I remained as yet for some days in the neighborhood of the 
fort, where my ministry was not unfruitful, both with respect to 
some prisoners, whose chains I was happy enough to break, and 
some French officers whose lives were threatened by the drunken- 
ness of the Indians, and to whose rescue I arrived when they 
were in an extremity. 

Such have been the circumstances of this unfortunate expedi- 
tion, which has brought disgrace on the valor of the Indians, 
after it had shone forth so brightly during the whole course of 
the siege, and has rendered their services burthensome to us. 
They, however, pretend to justify their conduct. The Abnakis 
in particular, on the ground of reprisals, alleging that more than 
once, even in the midst of peace, or during parleys, such as took 
place in the course of the past winter, their warriors had found 
their graves through treacherous attacks in the English forts of 
Acadia. I have neither the sources of information nor the know- 
ledge to enable me to judge a nation, who, although our enemy, 
has many claims to our respect. For the rest, I do not know 
that in the whole progress of this narrative, a single incident has 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. IS* 

been set forth by me whose certainty they could with justice im- 
peach ; and still less can I persuade myself that malignity itself 
will be able to discover a single fact which could authorize the 
throwing back on the French nation the disgrace of this occur- 
rence. 

They had made the Indians agree to the terms of the capitu- 
lation ; could they take any course more surely to prevent its 
infraction ? 

They had assigned to the enemy, to protect their retreat, an 
escort of four hundred men, some of whom have even been the 
victims of a zeal too ardent in repressing the disorder ; were 
they able more efficaciously to prevent the breach of the treaty ? 

They have indeed since gone so far as to purchase the English 
captives at great expence, and to procure them at a heavy ran- 
som from the hands of the savages, so that nearly four hundred 
are now at Quebec, ready to embark for Boston. Could they 
more sincerely repair the violation of this treaty ? These consid- 
erations seem to me not to admit of a reply. 

The Indians then alone are responsible for this violation of the 
laws of nations. And it is to their insatiable ferocity and their 
lawlessness alone that we can attribute it. The news of this fatal 
execution spread through the English colonies, and caused such 
affliction and fear that a single savage dared to push his temerity 
so far as to go to take prisoners almost at the gates of Orange, 
without suffering any molestation either in his expedition or his 
retreat. Thus the enemy formed no enterprise against us during 
the days which followed the capture of the fort. Nothing, how- 
ever, could be more critical than the situation in which the French 
army then found itself The Indians, including even the Ab- 
nakis and the Nipistingues, had disappeared since the day of 
their unhappy expedition ; twelve hundred men were occupied in 
the destruction of the fort, and nearly a thousand were em- 
ployed in transporting the immense stores of provisions and 



188 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

munitions of war of wliich we had become masters. There 
scarcely remained a handful to make head against the enemy if 
he had taken an offensive position. But his quietness furnished 
us the opportunity of consummating our work. Fort George was 
destroyed and entirely demolished, and even the ruins were con- 
sumed by fire. It was only during this burning that we learned 
the greatness of the enemy's loss. The casemates and the sub- 
terranean passages were found to be filled with dead bodies, 
which, during several days, furnished new aliment to the activity 
of the flames. As to our loss, it consisted of twenty-one killed, 
of whom three were Indians, and about twenty-five wounded. 
That was all. 

At last, on the Festival of the Assumption, I re-entered my 
boat to return to Montreal, at the season which is both the most 
rainy and the coldest. The voyage was only marked by a con- 
tinual succession of storms and tempests, which came near 
sinking one of our boats, and destroying the conductors. But our 
toils were well alleviated, not only by the company of the other 
Missionaries, but also by that of M. Fiesch, who was sent to 
Montreal in the capacity of hostage. This officer, a Swiss by 
birth, and formerly in the service of France, is one of the most 
honorable men that can be found. During his residence in the 
midst of the colony, he has served the nation to which he is 
bound with a fidelity worthy of all praise. 

Arrived at Montreal, I expected to take some necessary re- 
pose ; but the Indians there so multiplied my duties, and which 
yet were of a nature so little satisfactory, that I hastened my de- 
parture for my mission. I had one reason, indeed, which more 
hurried me, that I might endeavor to discharge the promise I had 
made to the English officers, to spare no means in the settlement 
to induce the Indians to restore the rest of the prisoners. And 
it was full time that I took hold of this business. One of our 
Canadians who had escaped from prison in New England, was 



MONTCALM'S EXPEDITION. 189 

loud in his denunciations of the bad treatment which he had suf 
fered there, and even reported that one of the Abnakis, taken in 
the action of M. de Dieskau, had during the winter perished from 
hunger in the prisons at Orange. This news spread abroad would 
have caused the death of many innocent persons. I adopted the 
course of burying it in a profound silence, which has favored the 
departure of many of the English unjustly detained in slavery. 

Such is a faithful history of all the events which have marked 
the campaign which has just ended. It has enabled you to see 
with satisfaction, that French valor has there sustained itself 
with honor, and has worked wonders. Buf " you have been able 
also to see that passions, ever the same, produce everywhere the 
same ravages, and that our Indians, in being Christians, are not 
in this particular more irreprehensible in their conduct. Their 
wandering and vagabond life is one of the principal causes of 
their difficulties. Abandoned to themselves, and to the sway of 
their passions, without being even sustained by the aid of any 
formal service of their religion, during a greater part of the year 
they escape from the influence of the most active zeal which can 
be exerted in their behalf, and which condemned during this 
long term to the most sad inaction, is reduced to the necessity of 
being able to form in their favor nothing but good wishes, which 
almost always are futile and superfluous. Perhaps the God of 
mercy will one day enlighten these unhappy beings, on the dan- 
gers of their strange manner of life, and will fix their instability 
and wanderings. But if this be an event for which it is permitted 
to a Missionary to hope, it is not in his power to bring it about. 
I have the honor to be, &c. 



FATHER MAREST'S JOURNEYS 



THROUGH ILLINOIS AND MICHIGAN. 



1712. 



LETTER VII 



FROM FATHER GABRIEL MAREST,* MISSIONARY OF THE SOCIETY OF 



At Cascaskias, an Illinois Village, otherwise called, ' Of the Immaculate 
Conception of the Holy Virgin,' the 9th of November, 1712. 

MY REVEREND I^ATHER, 

The Peace of our Lord be with you : 

I WISH I was able to give you such information with regard 
to our Missions, as would correspond with the idea which you have 
perhaps formed. The account which one hears all his days in 
Europe of those vast countries in the East, thickly sown with 
villages and settlements, where an innumerable multitude of 
idolaters present themselves in crowds to the zeal of the mission- 
ary, naturally leads him to believe that things are here in the 
same condition. Here, on the contrary, my Reverend Father, 
in a great extent of country, we scarcely find three or four vil- 
lages. Our life is passed in roaming through thick forests, in 

[* In 1694 Fatlier Marest accompanied the expedition of the celebrated 
d^Iberville, from Montreal to Hudson's Bay, with the force intended to 
capture the English forts at the latter place. The object of the enterprise 
succeeded and Marest commenced a mission to the neighboring Indians who 
are buried in almost perpetual snows. His diary of the expedition and 
winter .spent there is full of interest, and the writer had translated it for 
publication with these letters. The size of the volume however obliged 
him to omit it. In 1695 the forts were retaken by the English, and Father 
Marest was sent prisoner to Plymouth. "We now find him, after a lapse of 
BCTenteen years, laboring on the prairies of Illinois.] 

10 



104 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

clambering over the mountains, in paddling the canoe across 
lakes and rivers, to catch a single poor savage who flies from us, 
and whom wo can tame neither by teachings nor by caresses. 

Nothing is more difficult than the conversion of these Indians ; 
it is a miracle of the Lord's mercy. It is necessary first to trans- 
form them into men, and afterwards to labor to make them 
Christians. As they arc absolute masters of themselves, without 
being subject to any law, the independence in which they live, 
enslaves them to the most brutal passions. There are, however, 
chiefs among them, but they have no authority. If they should 
resort to threats, so far from making themselves feared, they 
would find themselves immediately abandoned by the very per- 
sons who had chosen them to their office. They do not draw to 
themselves consideration and respect, except when they have, as 
they express it here, something to fill tlie kettle, that is, some- 
thing with which to give feasts to those who should obey them. 

It is this independence indeed which is the origin of all kinds 
of vices which rule them. They are lazy, treacherous, fickle and 
inconstant, deceitful, naturally thievish, so as even to glory in 
their address in stealing, brutal, without honor, without truth, 
ready to promise any thing for those who are liberal to them, 
but at the same time ungrateful and without thankfulness. The 
only effect produced by conferring a favor freely upon them, is 
to strengthen them in their natural arrogance ; it only renders 
them more insolent. " He fears me," they say, " for he courts 
me." Thus, whatever good will one may have to oblige them, 
he is restrained, that he may force them to value any little ser- 
vices he may render them. 

Gluttony and the love of pleasure are above all those vices 
which are most prominent among our Indians. They become 
addicted to a most disgraceful habit of life, even before they are 
of sufficient age to know the shame which is attaclied to it. If 
you add to this the wandering life they pass in the forests in tho 



FATHER MAREST'S JOURNEYS. 195 

pursuit of wild beasts, you will easily agree that reason must be 
entirely stupified in this race, and that they are almost incapable 
of submitting themselves to the yoke of the Gospel. But the 
farther they are removed from the kingdom of God, so much the 
more should our zeal be animated to cause them to approach it, 
and to make them enter there. Persuaded that we can do 
nothing of ourselves, we know at the same time that all things 
are possible through the aid of Him for whom we labor. ^Ye have 
even this advantage in the conversions which God has been will- 
ing to effect through our ministry, that we are freed from all 
danger of pride, or any reference we might make to ourselves. 
We cannot attribute these conversions, either to the forcible ar- 
guments of the Missionary, or to his eloquence, or to his other 
talents which might be useful in other countries, but can produce 
no impression on the minds of our Indians : we can render the 
glory to Him alone, who even of the stones knows how to make, 
when it pleases Him, children unto Abraham. 

Our Illinois dwell in a most delightful country. It is, never- 
theless, not as enchanting as it is represented to us by the author 
of the new relation of Southern America, which has appeared 
under the name of the Chevalier de Tonti. I have, however, 
heard it said by M. de Tonti himself, that he disowned the 
■work, and that he recognized nothing of it but his own name 
upon the title-page.* 

[* Chevalier de Tonti was an Italicin veteran, who as lieutenant to La Salle 
accompanied him in all his expeditions through tlie West and South- West, 
from 1680 to the melancholy death of La Salle in 1687. An apocraphal set 
of legends, full of geographical contradictions, was published under the 
title — " Les derni^res D^couvertes dans I'Amerique-Scptcntrionalo de 
Cavelier De la Salle, et les aventurcs de Chevalier Tonti, Gentilhomme 
Italien, compagnon de M. De la Salle, depuis 1678 jusqu'en 1690: PariSy 
1697." This is probably the work to which Father Marest refers. Char- 
levoix seems in some cases to have copied its errors.] 



196 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

We must acknowledge, however, that the country is very beau- 
tiful. There are great rivers which water it, vast and dense 
forests, delightful prairies, and hills covered with thick woods. 
All these make a charming variety. Although the country is 
farther south than Provence, yet the winter is longer, hut the 
cold is not very severe. During the summer the heat is less op- 
pressive, for the air is cooled by the forests, and the multitude of 
rivers, lakes, and ponds which intersect the country. 

The Illinois river empties into the Mississippi, at the 39th 
degree of latitude. It is about one hundred and fifty leagues in 
length, but can scarcely be said to be very navigable except in 
the spring. It runs towards the south-west, and comes from the 
north-east, or east-north-east. The plains and prairies are all 
covered with buffaloes, roebucks, hinds, stags, and different kinds 
of fallow deer. The feathered game is also there in the greatest 
abundance. We find particularly quantities of swans, geese, bus- 
tards, and ducks. The wild oats v/hicli grow naturally on the 
plains, fattens them to such a degree, that they often die from 
being smothered in their own grease. Turkeys are also found 
there in great numbers, and are equally good with those in 
France. 

The country is not bounded by the river Illinois. It also ex- 
tends along the Mississippi on both sides, and is about two hun- 
dred leagues in length, and more than one hundred in breadth. 
The Mississippi is one of the most beautiful rivers in the world : 
during the few last years a boat has ascended it to the extent of 
eight hundred leagues, where water-falls* prevented it from going 
farther. 

Seven leagues below the mouth of the Illinois river, we find a 
large river called the Missouri,! or more commonly Pekitanoui^ 

[=^ Falls of St. Anthony ] 

t Some of the other missionaries assert that the water of the Missouri is 
better and clearer than that of the Mississippi. 



FATHER MAREST'S JOURNEYS. 197 

that is to say, muddy water, wliicli discharges itself into the Mis- 
sissippi on the western side. It is exceedingly rapid, and soils 
the beautiful water of the -Mississippi, which flows from thence to 
the sea. Its source is in the north-west, very near the mines 
which the Spaniards have in Mexico, and therefore very conve- 
nient for the French who arc journeying into that country. 

About eighty leagues below, on the side of the river Illinois, 
that is to say, on the eastern side, (for the general course of the 
Mississippi is from north to south,) is the mouth of again another 
fine river, called Oiiabachc* It comes from the east-north-east, 
and has three branches, one of which extends to the country of 
the Iroquois, another towards Virginia and Carolina, and the 
third even to the Miamis. It is said that silver mines have been 
found there. This, however, is certain, that there are in that 
country mines of lead and tin, and should some miners by pro- 
fession come to make excavations in these lands, they might per- 
haps find mines of copper and other metals. 

Besides these large rivers which water the country to such an 
extent, there are also a great number of those which are smaller. 
It is on one of these rivers that our village is situated, on the 
eastern side, between the rivers Ouabache and Pekitamui. \Ye 
are in the 38th degree, of latitude. Large numbers of bufialoes 
and bears can be seen, which feed on the banks of the river 
Ouabache. The flesh of the young bears is a very delicate 
meat. 

The marshes are filled with roots, some of which are excellent, 
as are also the potatoes, and other productions of which it would 
be useless to give here the barbarous names. The trees too are 
very lofty and fine. There is one to which they have given the 
name of Cedar of Lebanon ; it is a large tree, very straight, 
which does not throw out any branches except at the top, where 
they form a kind of crown. The copal is another tree from 
[* The Ohio River.] 



198 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

which they procure a gum, which spreads an odor equally agree- 
able with that of incense. 

Fruit trees are not found here in great numbers. There are 
some apple-trees and wild plum-trees, which would produce per- 
haps good fruit if they were grafted. There are plenty of mul- 
berry-trees, the fruit of which is not as large as in France, and 
different kinds of nut trees. The pacanes^ (the name they have 
for one kind of these nuts,) are of better taste than our nuts in 
France. They have brought us peach trees up the Mississippi, 
which reached here without difficulty. But among the fruits of 
the country, those which appeared to me the best, and which 
would certainly be esteemed in France, are the Fiakimina and 
the Racemina. The latter are nearly twice the length of a finger, 
and about as large round as the arm of an infant ; the former 
most resemble the medlar, with the exception that the crown of it 
is smaller. "We have also grapes, but they are only moderately 
good. The vines grow to the tops of trees, where it is neces- 
sary to gather the fruit. We have often been obliged to make 
wine of them, for want of any other kind for the service of the 
Mass. Our Indians are not accustomed to gather the fruit from 
the trees, they think it much easier to cut down the trees them- 
selves, and to this it is owing that there are scarcely any fruit 
trees about the villages. 

It would seem as if a country so beautiful, and as widely ex- 
tended as this, ought to be sown with villages thickly populated ; 
there are however but three, counting our own, one of which is 
more than a hundred leagues from here, where there are eight or 
nine hundred savages, and the other is on the Mississippi, at the 
distance of twenty-five leagues from our settlement. The men are 
generally of a tall stature, very active and good runners, having 
been accustomed from their most tender youth to run in the 
forests after the game. They only cover themselves at the waist, 
leaving the rest of the body entirely naked. As to the females, 



FATHER MAREST'S JOURNEYS. 199 

tliey cover also the breast with a piece of deer skin. But they 
are all modestly clothed when they come to the Church. Then, 
they wrap the body in a large skin, or clothe themselves well in 
a robe made of many skins sewed together. 

The Illinois are much less barbarous than the other Indians 
Christianity and their intercourse with the French have by de- 
grees somewhat civilized them. This is particularly remarked in 
our village, of which the inhabitants are almost all Christians, 
and has brought many French to establish themselves here, three 
of whom we have recently married to Illinois women. These In- 
dians are not at all wanting in wit, they are naturally curious, 
and are able to use raillery in a very ingenious way. The chase 
and war are the sole occupations of the men, while the rest of the 
labor falls upon the women and girls. They are the persons who 
prepare the ground for sowing, do the cooking, pound the corn, 
build the wigwams, and carry them on their shoulders in their 
journeys These wigwams are constructed of mats made of 
platted reeds, which they have the skill to sew together in such 
a way that the rain cannot penetrate when they are new. Be- 
sides these things they occupy themselves in manufacturing arti- 
cles from buifalo's hair, and in making bands, belts, and sacks ; 
for the buffaloes here are very different from our cattle in 
Europe. Besides having a large hump on the back by the 
shoulders, they are also entirely covered with a fine wool, which 
answers the purpose to our Indians of that which they would 
procure from sheep, if they had them in the country. 

The women thus occupied and depressed by their daily toils, 
are more docile to the truths of the Gospel. This however is not 
the case at the lower end of the Mississippi, where the idleness 
which prevails among persons of that sex, gives opportunity for 
the most fearful disorders, and removes them entirely from the 
way of safety. 

It would be difficult to say what is the religion of our Indians. 



200 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

It consists entirely in some superstitions witli wliich tlieir credu- 
lity is amused. As all tlieir knowledge is limited to an acquaint- 
ance with brutes, and to the necessities of life, it is to these things 
also that all their worship is confined. Their medicine-men, who 
have a little more intellect than the rest, gain their respect by 
their ability to deceive them. They persuade them that they 
honor a kind of Spirit, to whom they give the name of Manitou^ 
and teach them, that it is this Spirit which governs all things, 
and is master of life and of death. A bird, a bufi'alo, a bear, or 
rather the plumage of the birds, and the skin of these beasts, such 
is their Maniton.. They hang it up in their wigwams, and offer 
to it sacrifices of dogs and other animals. 

The braves carry their Manitous in a mat, and unceasingly in- 
voke them to obtain the victory over their enemies. Their medi- 
cine-men have in like manner recourse to their Manitous when 
they compose their remedies, or when they attempt to cure the 
diseased. They accompany their invocations with chants, and 
dances, and frightful contortions, to induce the belief that they 
are inspired by their Manitous ; and at the same time they thus 
aggravate their diseases, so that they often cause death. During 
these different contortions, the medicine-man names sometimes 
one animal, and sometimes another, and at last applies himself to 
suck that part of the body in which the sick person perceives the 
pain. After having done so for some time, he suddenly raises 
himself and throws out to him the tooth of a bear, or of some 
other animal, which he had kept concealed in his mouth. " Dear 
friend," he cries, "you will live. See what it was that was 
killing you." After which he says, in applauding himself — 
" Who can resist my Manitow ? Is he not the one who is the 
master of life ?" If the patient happens to die, he immediately 
has some deceit ready prepared, to ascribe the death to some 
other cause which took place after he had left the sick man. But 
if on the contrary he should recover his health, it is then that 



FATHER MAREST'S JOURNEYS. 201 

the medicine-man receives consideration, and is himself regarded 
as a Manitou ; and after having well rewarded his labors, they 
procure the best that the village produces, to regale him. 

The influence which these kinds of jugglers have, places a great 
obstacle in the way of the conversion of the Indians. By em- 
bracing Christianity they expose themselves to their insults and 
violence. It is only a month ago that a young Christian girl 
experienced this treatment. Holding a rosary in her hand she 
was passing before the wigwam of one of these impostors. He 
had imagined that the sight of a similar chapelet had caused the 
death of his father, and inspired therefore with fury, he took his 
gun, and was on the point of firing at this poor neophyte, when 
he was arrested by some Indians who happened to be present. 

I cannot tell you how many times I have received the like 
insults from them, nor how many times I should have expired 
under their blows, had it not been for the particular protection 
of God, who has preserved me from their fury. On one occasion, 
among others, one of them would have split my head with his 
hatchet, had I not turned at the very time that his arm was 
raised to strike me. Thanks to God, our village is now purged 
from these impostors. The care which we have ourselves taken 
of the sick, the remedies we have given them, and which have 
generally produced a cure, have destroyed the credit and reputa- 
tion of these medicine-men, and forced them to go and establish 
themselves elsewhere. 

There are, however, some among them who are not so entirely 
brutal, and with whom we can sometimes talk, and endeavor to 
disabuse them of tlie vain confidence they have in their Manitous: 
but it is not ordinarily with much success. A conversation 
which one of our Fathers had with one of these medicine-men, 
will enable you to understand the extent of their obstinacy on this 
point, and also what ought to be the condescension of a Mission 

10* 



202 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

ary, in attempting even to refute opinions as extraordinary as 
those with which they are here met. 

The French had established a fort on the river Ouahache: they 
asked for a Missionary, and the Father Mermet was sent to them. 
This Father thought that he should also labor for the conversion 
of the Mascoutens, who had formed a settlement on the banks of 
the same river, a tribe of Indians who understood the Illinois 
language, but whose extreme attachment to the superstitions of 
their medicine-men rendered them exceedingly indisposed to 
listen to the instructions of the Missionary. 

The course which Father Mermet took, was to confound in 
their presence one of their medicine-men, who worshipped the 
buffalo as his grand Manitou. After having insensibly led him to 
confess that it was not by any means the buffalo which he wor- 
shipped, but a Manitou of the buffalo, which is under the earth, 
which animates all the buffaloes, and which gives life to their 
sick ; he asked him whether the other beasts, as the bears, for 
example, which his comrades worshipped, were not equally 
animated by a Manito2i which is under the earth. " Certainl}^," 
replied the medicine-man. '• But if this be so," said the Mission- 
ary, " then men ought also to have a Manitou which animates 
them." " Nothing can be more certain," said the medicine-man. 
" That is sufficient for me," replied the Missionary, " to convict 
you of having but little reason on your side ; for if man who is on 
the earth be the master of all the animals — if he kills them, if he 
eats them, then it is necessary that the Manitou which animates 
the men should also be the master of all the other Manitous. 
Where is, then, your wisdom, that you do not invoke him who is 
the master of all the others ?" This reasoning disconcerted the 
medicine-man, but this was the only effect which it produced, for 
they were not less attached than before to their ridiculous super- 
stitions. 

At that same time a contagious disease desolated their village. 



FATHER MAREST'S JOURNEYS. 203 

and each clay carried off many of the Indians : the medicine-men 
themselves were not spared, and died like the rest. The Mis- 
sionary thought that he would be able to win their confidence by 
liis attention to the care of the sick, and therefore apjDlied him- 
self to it without intermission ; but his zeal very often came near 
costing him his life. The services which he rendered to them 
were repayed only by outrages. There were even those who pro- 
ceeded to the extremity of discharging their arrows at him, but 
they fell at his feet ; it may be that they were fired by hands 
which were too feeble, or because Grod, who destined the Mission- 
ary for other labors, had wished to withdraw him at that time 
from their fury. Father Mermet, however, was not deterred 
from conferring baptism on some of the Indians, who requested it 
with importunity, and who died a short time after they had 
received it. 

Nevertheless, their medicine-men removed to a short distance 
from the fort, to make a great sacrifice to their Manitou. They 
killed nearly forty dogs, which they carried on the tops of poles, 
singing, dancing, and making a thousand extravagant gestures. 
The mortality, however, did not cease, for all their sacrifices. 
The chief of the medicine-men then imagined that their Manitou^ 
being less powerful than the Manitou of the French, was obliged 
to yield to him. In this persuasion he many times made a cir- 
cuit around the fort, crying out with all his strength, " "We are 
dead ; softly, Manitou of the French, strike softly, do not kill us 
all." Then, addressing himself to th^ Missionary, " Cease, good 
Manitou^ let us live ; you have life and death in your possession ; 
leave death, give us life." The Missionary calmed him, and 
promised to take even more care of the sick than he had hitherto 
done ; but notwithstanding all the care he could bestow, more 
than half in the village died. 

To return to our Illinois ; they are very different from these 
Indians, and also from what they formerly were themselves. 



204 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

Christianity, as I have already said, has softened their savage 
customs, and their manners are now marked by a sweetness and 
purity which have induced some of the French to take their 
daughters in marriage. "We find in them, moreover, a docility 
and ardor for the practice of Christian virtues. The following 
is the order we observe each day in our Mission : — Early in the 
morning we assemble the catechumens at the Church, where they 
have prayers, they receive instruction, and chant some canticles. 
When they have retired. Mass is said, at which all the Christians 
assist, the men placed on one side and the women on the other ; 
then they have prayers, which are followed by giving them a 
homily, after which each one goes to his labor. We then spend 
our time in visiting the sick, to give them the necessary remedies, 
to instruct them, and to console those who are laboring under 
any affliction. 

After noon the catechising is held, at which all are present. 
Christians and catechumens, men and cliildren, young and old, 
and where each, without distinction of rank or age, answers the 
questions put by the Missionary. As these people have no books, 
and are naturally indolent, they would shortly forget the princi- 
ples of religion, if the remembrance of them was not recalled by 
these almost continual instructions. Our visits to their wigwams 
occupy the rest of the day. 

In the evening all assemble again at the Church, to listen to the 
instructions which are given, to have prayers, and to sing some 
hymns. On Sundays and JFestivals they add to the ordinary 
exercises, instructions which are given after the Vespers. The 
zeal with which these good neophytes repair to the Church at all 
such hours is admirable : they break off from their labors, and 
run from a great distance to be there at the appointed time. 
They generally end the day by private meetings which they hold 
at their own residences, the men separately from the women, and 
there they recite the chapelet with alternate choirs, and chant the 



FATHER MAREST'S JOURNEYS. 2Q5 

hymns, until the night is far advanced. These hymns are their 
best instructions, which they retain the more easily, since the 
words are set to airs with which they are acquainted and which 
please them. 

They often approach the Sacraments, and the custom among 
them is, to confess and to communicate once in a fortnight. We 
have been obliged to appoint particular days on which they shall 
confess, or they would not leave us leisure to discharge our own 
duties. These are the Fridays and Sundays of each week, when 
we hear them, and on these days we are overwhelmed with a 
crowd of penitents. The care which we take of the sick gains us 
their confidence, and it is particularly at such times that we 
reap the fruits of our labors. Their docility is then perfect, and 
we have generally the consolation of seeing them die in great 
peace, and with the firm hope of being shortly united to God in 
Heaven. 

This Mission owes its establishment to the late Father Gravier. 
The Father Marquet was in truth the first who discovered the 
Mississippi about thirty nine years ago, but not being acquainted 
with the language of the country, he did not remain. Sometime 
afterwards he made a second journey, with the intention of fixing 
there his residence, and laboring for the conversion of these peo- 
ple, but death, which arrested him on the way, left to another the 
care of accomplishing this enterprise.* This wa,^ the Father 

[* In 1673 the Mississii:)pi was first discovered by Joliet and Marquette. 
They crossed Lake Michigan and were the first to enter Wisconsin. — 
"Here," says Marquette, "the guides returned, leaving us alone in this un- 
known land, in the hands of Providence." They embarked on the broad 
Wisconsin, and for seven days suffered their canoe to float down, until — 
to use his own words, ''they entered happily the Great River, with a joy 
that could not be expressed." On their way down they visited the tribes 
on the western bank, and were the first white men that trod the soil of Iowa. 
Risking their lives every hour, they floated past the mouth of the Ohio, and 
at length left behind them the region of the prairies and entered the cane- 



206 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 



Daloes, wlio charged himself with it. He was acquainted with 
the language of the Omniamis^ which approaches very nearly to 
that of the Illinois. He however made but a short sojourn, having 
the idea while there, that he should be able to accomplish more 
in a diiferent country, where indeed he ended his apostolic life. 

Thus, the Father Gravier is the one who should property be 
regarded as the founder of the mission to the Illinois. He first 
inivestigated the principles of their language, and reduced them 
to grammatical rules, so that we have since only been obliged to 
bring to perfection what he began with so great success. This 
Missionary had at first much to suffer from their medicine-men, 
and his life was exposed to continual dangers, but nothing re- 
pulsed him, and he surmounted all these obstacles by his patience 
and mildness. Being obliged to depart to Michillimakinac^ his 
mission was confided to Father Bineteau and Father Pinet. In 
company with these two Missionaries I labored for some time, and 

brakes of tlie south. After descending below the Arkansas, preaching 
everywhere that they could make themselves understood the mysteries of 
their ftiith, they again ascended to Green Bay. Joliet returned to (Quebec 
to announce his discovery, and Marquette remained preaching to the Mi- 
amis in the north of Illinois. 

The account of his death is thus given by Bancroft : '• Two years after- 
wards, sailing from Chicago to Mackinaw, he entered a little river in Mich- 
igan. Erecting an altar, he said mass after the rites of the Catholic 
Church ; then begging the men who conducted the canoe to leave him alone 
for half an hour, 

' In the darkling wood. 
Amidst the cool and silence, he knelt down, 
And offered to the Mightiest solemn thanks 
And supplication.' 

" At the end of the half hour they went to seek him, and he was no more. 
The good missionary, discoverer of a world, had fallen asleep on the mar- 
gin of the stream that bears his name. Near its mouth the cauoemen dug 
his grave in the sand." — Hist, of U. S., iii. 16L] 



FATHER MAREST'S JOURNEYS. 207 



after their death remained in sole charge of all the toilsome 
duties of the mission, until the arrival of Father Mermet. My 
residence was formerly in the great village of the Peouarias^ 
where Father Gravier, who had returned thither for the second 
time, received a wound which caused his death. 

We have during this year lost but few of our people. I regret 
however most deeply the removal of one of our instructors, whose 
life and death have been most edifying. We here call those 
instructers who in other missions are called catechists, because it 
is not in the Church, but in the wigwams that they instruct the 
catechumens and the new proselytes. There are in the same 
way instructresses also for the women and the young girls. 
Henry, (for such was the name of the iustructer of whom I am 
speaking,) although of a very degraded family, had rendered 
himself respectable to every one by his great piety. He did not 
reside in our village more than seven or eight years, and before 
he came there had never seen a Missionary, or received even the 
first idea of Christianity. His conversion had in it something 
very singular. He was attacked with the small-pox, both himself 
and all his family. This disease swept off at first his wife and 
several of his children, leaving the others blind or extremely 
deformed, while he himself was reduced to the borders of the 
grave. When he thought that he had only a few moments longer 
to live, he imagined that he saw the Missionaries, who restored 
him to life, open to him the gate of Heaven, and urged him to 
enter there. From that moment he began to grow better. 

Scarcely was he in a condition to walk, when he came to find 
us at our village, and earnestly prayed us to teach him the truths 
of religion. In proportion as we instructed him, he taught his 
children what he had retained of our lessons, and all the family 
were in a short time prepared to receive baptism. One of these 
children, entirely blind as he was, charmed us by the deep feel- 
ings of piety which we discovered in him. During the painful ill- 



208 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

ness which for a long time afflicted hinij his prayers were un- 
ceasing, and he died after some years in great innocence. His 
father, Henry, in the same manner endured the most severe tests. 
A long and grievous illness had the effect of purifying his virtue, 
and prepared him for a death which has seemed to us precious in 
the sight of God. 

It is only a short time since that I also conferred baptism on 
a young catechumen of seventeen years of age, who has much 
edified our Christians hy her firmness and by her inviolable at- 
tachment to Christianity. The examples which she had at home 
were well calculated to lead her astray. The daughter of a father 
and mother who were both idolaters, she found in her own family 
the greatest obstacles to the virtues which she practiced. To try 
her still more, a young libertine took a fancy to marry her, and 
omitted nothing which could induce her to consent to the union, 
even to the promise that he would become a Christian. The 
father and mother of our catechumen, who had been gained over 
by the young man, treated her with the greatest inhumanity to 
shake her constancy. Her brother even went so far as to threat- 
en that he would kill her, if she continued so obstinately to refuse 
her consent. But these menaces and this ill treatment produced 
no effect on her. All her comfort was in coming to the church, 
and she often said to me, " The death which they threaten does 
not at all lerrify me, for I would willingly prefer it to the lot 
they propose to me. The young man whom they wish me to 
marry is a libertine, who has no thought of conversion. But 
even if these promises were given in sincerity, neither he nor any 
others should at all change the resolution which I have made. 
No, my father, I shall never have any other spouse than Jesus 
Christ." 

The persecution which she continued to receive in her family, 
was carried so far, that she was at last obliged to conceal herself 
at the residence of one of her relations who had become a Chris- 



FATHER MAREST'S JOURNEYS. 209 

tian. There she was tried by diflferent cvilsj which were not able 
to diminish her fervor ; and this is the more surprising as the 
least adversity is generally able to discourage these Indians. 
Having heard, some time afterwards, that her mother was in 
danger of losing her sight, by means of two cataracts which had 
formed over her eyes, this generous girl, forgetting the unworthy 
treatment she had received, immediately hastened to her assist- 
ance. Her tenderness and assiduous cares won the heart of her 
mother, and even gained her so far that she now accompanies her 
daughter to the church, where she seeks instruction, to prepare 
herself for the grace of baptism, for which she eagerly asks. 

As our Indians live on scarcely anything else but the smoked 
meat of animals which they kill in the chase, there are particular 
seasons in the year when they all quit the village and disperse 
themselves through the forests to hunt the wild beasts. This is 
a critical time, when they have more need than ever of the pres- 
ence of the missionary, who is obliged to accompany them in all 
their excursions. 

There are particularly two great hunts ; that of the summer, 
which scarcely lasts three weeks, and that which takes place du- 
ring the winter, which lasts four or five months. Although the 
summer hunt is the shortest, it is nevertheless the most painful, 
and it was this which cost the late Father Bineteau his life. He 
followed the Indians during the most oppressive heats of the 
month of July. Sometimes he was in danger of being stilled in 
the midst of the tall grasses, and then suffered cruelly from 
thirst, not finding anywhere on the parched-up prairies, a single 
drop of water to relieve it. During the day he was drenched in 
perspiration, and at night was obliged to take his rest on the bare 
ground, exposed to the dews, to the injurious effects of the at- 
mosphere, and to many other miseries of which I cannot give you 
the detail. These fatigues produced in him a violent illness, of 
which he expired in my arms. 



210 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

During the winter the Indians divide themselves into different 
companies, to search out the places where they think the game 
will be most abundant. It is then that we feel the desire to be 
able to multiply ourselves, that we may not lose sight of them. 
The utmost that we can do, is to hasten in succession to the dif- 
ferent encampments where we find them, to strengthen them in 
their faith, and to administer to them the sacraments. Our vil- 
lage is the only one in which it would be permitted to any In- 
dians to remain behind during all these expeditions. Many raise 
poultry and hogs, after the example of the French who are estab- 
lished there, and these for the most part excuse themselves from 
going to the hunting grounds. The Father Mermet, with whom 
I have had the happiness to be associated for many years, re- 
mains at the village for their instruction, the delicacy of his con- 
stitution placing it entirely out of his power to sustain the fatigues 
inseparable from these long journeys. Nevertheless, in spite of 
his feeble health, I can say that he is the soul of this mission. 
It is his virtue, his mildness, his touching instructions, and the 
singular talent he has of winning the respect and friendship of 
the Indians, which have placed our mission in its present flourish- 
ing state. For myself, who am so constituted that I can run on 
the snow with the rapidity with which a paddle is worked in a 
canoe, and who have, thanks to God, the strength necessary to 
endure all these toils, I roam through the forests with the rest of 
our Indians, much the greater part of whom pass a part of the win- 
ter in the chase. 

These expeditions, which it is necessary for us to make from 
time to time, sometimes to attend the Indians, and sometimes 
for other reasons important to the welfare of our Missions, are 
exceediDgly painful. You can yourself judge of this by the de- 
tails of some which I have made during the last few years, and 
which will give you an idea of the manner in which journeys arc 
performed by us in this country. If our missions are not as 



FATHER MAREST'S JOURNEYS. 211 

flourishing as others in the great number of conversions, they 
are at least precious and useful by the toils and fatigues which 
are inseparable from them. 

About twenty-five leagues from hence is the village of the 
Tamarouas. It is a mission which at first had been committed 
to Father Periet, whose zeal and labors God had blessed to such 
a degree, that I have been myself witness that his church was not 
able to contain the multitude of Indians, who resorted thither in 
crowds. This father had for his successor M. Bergier, a priest 
of the Seminary of Foreign Missions. Having learned that he 
was dangerously ill, I immediately repaired thither to his relief 
I remained for eight whole days with this worthy ecclesiastic. 
The care which I took of him, and the remedies which I gave, 
seemed by degrees to restore him ; and this was so far the case, 
that thinking himself better, and knowing too how necessary was 
my presence at my mission, on account of the departure of 
the Indians, he urged me to return. Before I left him, by way 
of precaution, I gave him the holy sacrament, and he instructed 
me as to the afi"airs of his mission, recommending it to my care, 
in case that Grod should remove him. I charged the French who 
had care of the sick man, immediately to let us know if he should 
be in danger, and set out on the road to my mission. 

As there are but twenty-five leagues from one village to the 
other, a person need sleep but one night abroad, provided he can 
travel well. The food which he takes on the road, consists of 
some ears of corn and some pieces of smoked beef, which he car- 
ries with him. When hungry, he kindles a fire near a stream, 
which furnishes him with something to drink, and roasts his corn 
and meat, after which he lies down near the fire, turning himself 
sometimes on one side, and sometimes on the other, accordingly 
as he feels the need of warmth. 

When I arrived at our village, almost all the Indians were 
gone. They were scattered along the Mississippi, and I immedi- 



212 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

atelj resumed my journey to go and join them. Scarcely had I 
advanced six leagues, when I found three wigwams, in one of 
which Avas an old man very ill. I confessed him, gave him some 
remedies, and promised to come again to see him, judging that 
he had yet a number of days to live. 

Five or six leagues farther on, I found a great number of wig- 
wams, which made a kind of village, and therefore stopped there 
some days to perform my accustomed duties. In the absence of 
the missionary, they never by any means fail to assemble every 
day in one large wigwam, and there they have prayers, they recite 
the chapelet, and chant the hymns, sometimes until the night is 
far advanced : and especially during the winter, when the nights 
are long, they pass a greater part of it in singing the praises of 
God. We always take care to appoint some one of our neophytes, 
who is the most fervent and most respected, to preside over meet- 
ings of this kind. 

I had now remained for some time with these dear neophytes, 
when they came to inform me, that at eighteen leagues farther 
off, in descending the Mississippi, there were some sick persons 
who had need of prompt succor. I therefore embarked at once 
in a fyrogue^ that is, a kind of boat made of one large tree, hol- 
lowed out to the length of forty feet, and very massive. The 
greatest difficulty is to ascend the river, but happily we had in 
this case to descend, and as its rapidity here is equal to that of 
the Rhone, we accomplished the eighteen leagues in a single day. 

The sick persons were not in as pressing danger as had been 
described to me, and I soon relieved them by my remedies. As 
they had there a church, and a large number of wigwams, I re- 
mained several days to animate the fervor of my neophytes by 
frequent instructions, and by a participation in the sacraments. 
Our Indians have such confidence in the missionary who rules 
them, that they discover to him with the most perfect openness 
of heart, everything which happens during his absence. Thus, 



FATHER MAREST'S JOURNEYS. 213 

when any disorder has taken place, or any one has given occasion 
of scandal, the missionary having been informed of it, has it in 
his power to remedy the evil, and to prevent the unhappy conse- 
quences which otherwise might ensue. 

I was obliged to separate myself from my neophytes sooner 
than I wished. The good old man whom I had left so sick, and 
the illness of M. Bergier, troubled me unceasingly, and rendered 
me very desirous to return to the village to learn the news. I 
accordingly again ascended the Mississippi, but the voyage was 
not accomplished without great fatigue. I had but one Indian 
with me, and his want of skill obliged me to row continually, or 
to labor in propelling our boat with the pole. At last, I arrived 
in sufficient time at the wigwam of this fervent Christian, who 
was dying. He confessed for the last time, and received the 
Holy Communion with the deepest feelings of piety, exhorting 
his son and all those who were about him, to live according to 
the rules of the Gospel, and to be steadfast even to their last 
breath in the faith which they had embraced. 

As soon as I had arrived at our village, I wished to go and see 
M. Bergier, but those who were there opposed it, alleging as a 
reason that no one had been sent with any news, as they had 
promised should be done in case he grew worse, and therefore 
they had no reason to doubt but that his health was re-estab- 
lished. I yielded to this reasoning, but a few days afterwards had 
cause for deep regret that I had not followed out my first design. 
A young slave arrived about two hours after mid-day, to inform us 
of his death, and request us to come and perform the funeral rites. 
I set out the very same hour. I had made about six leagues, 
when night overtook me, and a heavy rain which followed pre- 
vented me from taking some hours repose as I had intended. I 
therefore walked on till the dawn of day. when the weather hav- 
ing somewhat cleared up, I lighted a fire to dry myself, and then 
continued my route. I arrived in the evening at the village, 



214 JESUITS IN AMERICA 

God having given me strength to accomplish these twenty-five 
leagues in one clay and one night. Early in the morning of the 
next day I said mass for the deceased, and committed him to the 
earth. 

The death of M. Bergier was almost unexpected, according to 
the report made to me by the French who were with him. He 
himself perceived its sudden approach, and said that it would be 
useless to send for me, as he should be dead before my arrival. 
He only took the crucifix in his hands, which he affectionately 
kissed, and then expired. He was a Missionary of true merit, 
and a most austere life. At the beginning of his Mission, he had 
to sustain rude assaults on the part of the medicine-men, who 
taking advantage of the little knowledge he had of the language 
of these Indians, were able every day to entice from him some 
of the Christian converts, but at length he in his turn knew how 
to render himself feared by these impostors. His death was to 
them an occasion of triumph. They assembled around tlie cross 
which he had erected, and there invoked their Manitou^ dancing, 
and each one assuming to himself the glory of having killed the 
Missionary ; after which they broke the cross into a thousand 
pieces. This is the information which some time afterwards I 
received with grief 

I thought that such an outrage should not pass with impu- 
nity, and for this reason prayed the French not to conclude any 
treaty with them, until they had made reparation for the insult 
which they had offered to our religion. This punishment had 
all the effect which I desired. The principal men of the village 
came twice, one after the other, to testify to me the sincere regret 
they felt for their fault, and they engaged me by this confession 
to go from time to time to see them. But we must acknowledge, 
that a Missionary can produce little effect on the Indians, except 
he lives with them, and continually watches their conduct. 



FATHER MAREST'S JOURNEYS. 215 

Without this, they soon forget the instructions he has given 
them, and little by little return to their old disorders. 

It is this knowledge we have of the inconstancy of the Indians, 
which in the course of time gave us so much uneasiness with re- 
gard to the state of our Mission among the Peouarias. The dis- 
tance of our own village, the largest there was in this quarter, 
prevented us from making frec^uent excursions thither. And 
"besides this, the bad treatment they had given to the late Father 
Gravier, had obliged the Governors of Canada and of Mobile to 
forbid the French making a treaty with them. Many Christians 
indeed of that village had come to reside near us, but there were 
still many others remaining there, who not being sustained by 
the regular instructions, would become unsteady in the faith. 

At last, at the time we were thinking of measures to re-estab- 
lish this Mission, we learned from some French who had made a 
treaty there secretly, that these Indians were very much humbled 
by the destitution in which they had been left — that in many en- 
gagements they had been beaten by their enemies, for the want of 
powder which the French had ceased to furnish them — that they 
appeared deeply touched at the unworthy manner in which they 
had treated the Father Gravier, and that they now most earnestly 
asked for a Missionary. 

This news decided Father Mermet, Father de Ville and my- 
self, that we should avail ourselves of the favorable disposition in 
which the Fcoi/arias then were, to re-establish our Mission on its 
old footing. And Providence opened a way which was perfectly 
natural. It became necessary for one of us to make a journey to 
Michillimalcinac. that is, to a distance of more than three hundred 
leagues from hence, to confer with Father Joseph Marest, my 
brother, on the affairs of our Missions, of which he is the Supe- 
rior. In making this journey we could not avoid passing by the 
village of the Peouarias^ and there was reason to hope that the 
presence of a Missionary would determine them to renew the re- 



216 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

quest tney had lately made, and the proofs of repentance they 
had given. 

As I was perfectly well acquainted with these Indians, Father 
Marmet and Father de Ville charged me with the enterprise. I 
departed therefore on the Friday of Passion Week in the year 
1711. One day was all the time 1 had to prepare for so long a 
journey, because I was hurried by two Peouarias, who wished to 
return thither, and by whom it was convenient for me to be ac- 
companied. Some other Indians went with us as far as the vil- 
lage of the Tamarouas, where I arrived the second day after my 
departure. I set out again the next day, having nothing with 
me but my crucifix and breviary, and being accompanied only by 
the three Indians. Two of these Indians were not Christians, 
and the third was as yet only a catechumen. 

I confess to you, my Reverend Father, that I was a little em- 
barrassed when I saw myself at the mercy of these three sav- 
ages, on whom I was scarcely able to depend. I represented to 
myself on the one hand, the fickleness of these people, that the 
first fancy would perhaps induce them to abandon me, or the 
fear of a hostile party would put them to flight at the least 
alarm. On the other hand, the horror of our forests, those vast 
uninhabited regions, where I should certainly perish if I was 
abandoned, presented itself to my mind, and almost took away 
all courage. But at last, reassuring myself by the testimony of 
my conscience, which told me within that I was only seeking 
God and his glory, I surrendered myself entirely to Provi- 
dence. 

Journeys which are made in this country should not be 
compared with those in Europe. There you find from time 
to time villages and towns, and houses in which you can rest, 
bridges or boats to cross the rivers, beaten paths which lead 
to your destination, and persons who can place you in the 
right way, if you have strayed. Here there is nothing of 



FATHER MAREST'S JOURNEYS! 217 

the kind, aud we travelled for twelve days without meeting a 
single soul. At one time we found ourselves on prairies which 
were boundless to our view, cut up by brooks aud rivers, but 
without discovering any path which could guide us, and then 
again it became necessary to open a passage through dense for- 
ests, in the midst of brushwood covered with thorns and briars, 
and at other times we had to cross marshes filled with mire, in 
which we sometimes sank to the waist. 

After having been excessively fatigued during the day, we 
were obliged to take our repose at night on the grass or on some 
branches, exposed to the wind, to the rain, and to the injurious 
effects of the atmosphere. We were happy indeed if we found 
ourselves near some stream, but if not, no matter how dry we 
were, the night passed without our being able to alleviate our 
thirst. We kindled a fire, and when we had killed any game on 
our way, we roasted pieces of it, which we eat with some ears of 
Indian corn, if we had any of them. 

Besides these inconveniences, common to all those who travel 
through these deserted lands, we had the addition also of hun- 
ger during the whole of our journey. It was not because we 
did not see great numbers of stags, and deer, and particularly of 
bufialoes, but our Indians were not able to kill any. A ru- 
mor they had heard the day before our departure that the coun- 
try was infested by parties of the enemy, prevented them from 
carrying their guns, for fear of being discovered by the report 
when they fired, or of being embarrassed, if it should be neces- 
sary for them to seek safety in flight. Thus, they could use no- 
thing but their arrows, and the buffaloes which they hit, fled, car- 
rying with them the arrows by which they had been pierced, and 
went to die in some distant place. 

In all other things these poor people took great care of me. 
They carried me on their shoulders when it was necessary to 
cross any stream, and when we came to deep rivers, they collected 

11 



218 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

many pieces of dry wood which they tied together, and making 
me seat myself on this kind of boat, they transported themselves 
by swimming, and pushed me before them to the other side. 

It was not without reason that they feared meeting with any 
war party of the enemy, for they would have received no quarter 
from them. Either their heads would have been cut off, or at 
best they would have been made prisoners, to be burnt at last 
before a slow fire, or to be used for food in their feasts. Nothing 
can be more frightful than these wars of our Indians. They are 
commonly found in parties of twenty, or thirty, or forty men. 
Sometimes these parties consist of only six or seven persons, and 
in this case they are the most formidable. As they make all 
their skill to consist in surprising the enemy, the small number 
increases the ease with which they conceal themselves, to render 
more certain the blow which they meditate. For our warriors 
do not pride themselves on attacking an enemy in front, and 
when he is on his guard. To attempt this it is necessary that 
they should be ten to one ; and when such occasions do happen, 
each one excuses himself from advancing first. Their method is 
to folldw on the trail of their enemies, and to kill each one when 
he is sleeping, or what is better, to place themselves in ambush 
in the neighborhood of the villages, to cut ofi" .the head of tho 
first who comes out, and to carry off his scalp to make of it 
a trophy among his countrymen. It is thus that this thing is 
done. 

As soon as one of these braves has killed his enemy, he draws 
his knife, and cuts round the head, taking off the skin with the 
hair, which he carries in triumph to his village. There for some 
days he suspends this scalp in the top of his wigwam, and all 
who are in the village come to congratulate him on his valor, and 
to bring him some presents to testify the interest they feel in his 
victory. At times they content themselves with making pris- 
oners, but immediately tie their hands, and force them to run 



FATHER MAREST'S JOURNEYS. 219 

before them at full speed, for fear they may be pursued, as some- 
times happens, by the companions of those they are carrying off. 
The fate of these prisoners is very sad, for often they burn them 
at a slow fire, and, at other times, cook them in their kettles to 
make a feast for all their warriors. 

During the first day of our departure we found some traces of 
a party of these warriors. I could not but admire the sharp- 
sightedness of our Indians. They showed me their tracks on the 
grass, distinguished where they had set down, where they had 
walked, and what was their number. As for myself, after nar- 
rowly scrutinizing the place, I was unable to detect the slightest 
trace. It was a happy circumstance for me that a panic did not 
seize them at this moment, as they would have left me entirely 
alone in the midst of the woods. But a little while afterwards, 
I myself, without intending it, gave them a terrible fright. A 
swelling which I had in the feet made me walk slowly, and they 
had got a very little in advance of me, without my having paid 
any attention to it. I suddenly perceived that I was alone, and 
you may judge how great was my embarrassment. I immedi- 
ately began to call them, but they did not make me any answer ; 
I accordingly shouted louder, and they, not doubting but that I 
had fallen in with a party of warriors, freed themselves at once 
from their packets that they might be enabled to run more 
easily. I redoubled my cries, and their fear augmented more 
and more. The two Indians who were idolaters now began to 
take to flight, but the catechumen, being ashamed to abandon 
me, drew a little nearer to see what was the matter. When he 
had perceived that there was nothing to fear, he made a sign to 
his comrades : then, approaching me, he said in a trembling voice, 
" You have given us a great fright : my companions have already 
fled, but as for me, I was resolved to die with you, rather than 
abandon you." This incident taught me to keep close to my 



220 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

companions on the journey, and they, on their part, were more 
attentive not to separate themselves far from me. 

Nevertheless, the difficulty which I had in my feet constantly 
increased. At the beginning of the journey I had made some 
blisters which I neglected, persuading myself that by dint of 
walking I should harden myself to the fatigue. As the fear of 
meeting with parties of the enemy made us take long journeys, 
and we passed the night in the midst of brushwood and thickets, 
so that no foe could approach us without making himself heard ; 
as at other times we did not dare to light a fire for fear of being 
discovered, the fatigues we were obliged to undergo reduced me to 
a sad state. I could not walk except upon these sores, which so 
touched the Indians who accompanied me, that they formed the 
resolution of carrying me by turns. This service they rendered 
me during the two following days, but having reached the Illinois 
river, and not being more than twenty-five leagues from the 
JPeouarias, I engaged one of my Indians to go on before, to give 
notice to the French of my arrival, and of the grievous situation 
in which I found myself I endeavored to advance a little 
during two days, dragging myself along as I best could, and 
being carried from time to time by the two Indians who had re- 
mained with me. 

On the third day, I saw a number of the French arrive at 
noon, who brought me a canoe and some refreshments. They 
were astonished to see how much I was drooping : it was the 
effect of the long abstinence we had undergone, and of the pain I 
had felt in walking. They embarked me in their canoe, and as I 
had not the least inconvenience to suffer, the repose and good 
treatment I enjoyed, very soon reestablished me. It was, how- 
ever, more than ten days before I was able to bear my weight 
upon my feet. 

On the other hand I was much comforted by the steps which 
the Peouarias took. All the chiefs of the village came to salute 



FATHER MARESTS JOURNEYS. 22i. 

me, giving evidence of the joy they had at seeing me, and con- 
juring me to forget their past faults, and to come and live virith 
them, I answered these marks of friendship by reciprocal testi- 
monies of good will, and promised them to fix my residence in 
their midst, as soon as I had finished the business which called 
me to Michillimakinac. 

After having remained fifteen days in the village of the Fcoua- 
rias, and being a little restored by the care which they had taken 
of me, I thought of continuing my route. I had hoped that the 
French, who returned thither about that time, would carry me 
with them even to the end of my journey ; but as the rain had 
not yet fallen, it was impossible for them to go by the way of the 
river. I therefore determined 1o cross to the river Saint Joseph, 
in the mission of the Pouteautamis^ which is under the direction 
of Father Chardon. In nine days time I accomplished this sec- 
ond journey, a distance of seventy leagues, making it partly on 
the river, which is full of currents, and partly in crossing by land. 
God preserved me in a most wonderful manner on this journey. 
A party of warriors hostile to the Illinois, came to make a descent 
upon some hunters within gunshot of the path on which I was. 
They killed one of them, and carried off another to their village, 
that they might cook him in their kettles, and make of him a 
war-feast. 

As I approached the village of the Fouteaula?)iis, the Lord 
vouchsafed to recompense me for all my pains, by one of those 
unexpected adventures, which He sometimes arranges for the 
consolation of His servants. The Indians, who where sowing 
their fields, having perceived me from a distance, hastened to 
give notice of my arrival to Father Chardon. He met me sud- 
denly, followed by another Jesuit. What an agreeable surprise, 
when in him I recognized my brother, who threw himself on my 
neck to embrace me ! Fifteen years had passed since we had 
separated, without the hope of ever seeing each other again. It 



222 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

is true that I was on my way to join him, but Michillimakiiiac 
was the place where our meeting should have been, and not a 
place more than a hundred leagues on this side of it. Without 
doubt, God had inspired him with the design of making at this 
time his visit to the Mission of Saint Joseph, to enable me in 
one moment to forget all my past fatigues. "We both blessed the 
divine mercy, which induced us to come from places so remote, 
to afford us a consolation which we felt more than we could ex- 
press. Father Chardon participated in the joy of this hapjDy 
meeting, and showed us all those kind attentions which we could 
expect from his good will. 

After having remained eight days at the Mission of Saint 
Joseph, I embarked with my brother in his canoe, to repair to- 
gether to Michillimaldnac. The voyage was very delightful to 
me, not only because I had the pleasure of being with a brother 
who is very dear, but also because it afforded me an opportunity 
of profiting for a much longer time by his conversation and ex- 
ample. 

It is, as I have said, more than a hundred leagues from the 
Mission of St. Joseph to Michilliinakinac. We go the whole 
length of Lake Michigan^ which on the maps has the name, with- 
out any authority, of the Lake of the Illinois^ since the Illinois do 
not at all dwell in its neighborhood. The stormy weather de- 
layed us, so that our voyage took seventeen days, though it is 
often accomplished in less than eight. 

Michillimaldnac is situated between two great lakes, into which 
other lakes and many rivers empty. Therefore it is that this 
village is the ordinary resort of the French, the Indians, and 
almost all those engaged in the fur trade of the country. The 
soil there is far inferior to that among the Illinois. During 
the greater part of the year one sees nothing but fish, and the 
waters which are so agreeable during the summer, render a resi- 
dence there dull and wearisome during the winter. The earth is 



FATHER MAREST'S JOURNEYS. 223 

entirely covered with snow from All-Saints day* even to the 
month of May. 

The character of these Indians partakes of that of the climate 
under which they live. It is harsh and indocile. Religion 
among them does not take deep root as should be desired, and 
there are hut few souls who from time to time give themselves 
truly to Godj and console the missionary for all his pains. For 
myself, I could not but admire the patience with which my 
brother endured their failings, his sweetness under the trial of 
their caprices and their coarseness, his diligence in visiting them, 
in teaching them, in arousing them from their indolence for the 
exercises of religion, his zeal and his love, capable of embracing 
their hearts, if they had been less hard and more tractable ; and 
I said to myself, that success is not always the recompence of 
the toils of apostolic men, nor the measure of their merit. 

Having finished all our business during the two months that 
I remained with my brother, it became necessary for us to sepa- 
rate. As it was God who ordered this separation. He knew how 
to soften all its bitterness. I departed to rejoin Father Chardon, 
with whom I remained fifteen days. He is a missionary full of 
zeal, and who has a rare talent for acquiring languages. He is 
acquainted with almost all those of the Indians who are on these 
lakes, and has even learned that of the Illinois sufficiently to 
make himself understood, although he has only seen some of 
those Indians accidentally, when they came to his village ; for 
the Pouteautamis and the Illinois live in terms of friendship and 
visit each other from time to time. Their manners however are 
very different ; those are brutal and gross, while these on the 
contrary are mild and affable. 

After having taken leave of the missionary, we ascended the 
Biver Saint- Joseph to where it was necessary to make a portage 
about thirty leagues from its mouth. The canoes which are used 
[* November 1st.] 



224 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

for navigation in this country are only of bark and very liglit, 
although they carry as much as a large boat. When the canoe 
has carried us for a long time on the water, we in our turn carry 
it on the land to cross over to another river, and it was thus that 
we did in this place. We first transported all there was in the 
canoe towards the source of the river of the Illinois, which they 
call Haukiki, then we carried thither our canoe, and after having 
launched it, we embarked there to continue our route. We were 
but two days in making this portage which is a league and a half 
in length. The abundant rains which had fallen during this sea 
son had swelled our little rivers, and freed us from the currents 
which we feared. At last we perceived our own agreeable country, 
the savage buffaloes and herds of stags wandering on the borders 
of the river, and those who were in the canoe took some of them 
from time to time which served for our food. 

At the distance of some leagues from the village of the Peoua- 
Has, many of these Indians came to meet me, to form an escort 
to defend me from hostile parties of warriors who might be roam- 
ing through the forest, and when I approached the village, they 
sent forward one of their number to give notice of my arrival. 
The greater part ascended to the fort, which is situated on a rock 
on the banks of the river, and when I entered the village made 
a general discharge of their guns in sign of rejoicing. Their joy 
was indeed pictured plainly on their countenances, and shone 
forth in my presence. I was invited with the - French and the 
Illinois chiefs to a feast which was given to us by the most dis- 
tinguished of the Feoucurias. It was there that one of the prin- 
cipal chiefs addressed me in the name of the nation, testifying to 
me the vivid grief they felt at the unworthy manner in which 
they had treated Father Gravier, and conjured me to forget it, 
to have pity on them and their children, and to open to them 
the gate of Heaven which they had closed against themselves. 

For myself, I returned thanks to God from the bottom of my 



FATHER MA REST'S JOURNEYS. 5>.25 

heart, that I thus saw that accomplished which I had desired with 
the utmost ardor : I answered them in a few words, that I was 
touched with their repentancCj that I always regarded them as 
my children, and that after having made a short excursion to my 
mission, I should come to fix my residence in the midst of them, 
to aid them by my instructions to return into the way of salvation, 
from which they had perhaps wandered. At these words the 
chief uttered a loud cry of joy, and each one with emulation tes- 
tified his gratitude. During two days that I remained in the 
village, I said Mass in public, and discharged all the duties of a 
missionary. 

It was towards the end of August that I embarked to return 
to my mission of the Cascaskias, distant a hundred and fifty 
leagues from the village of the Pcouarias. During the first day 
of our departure, we found a canoe of the Scioux, broken in some 
places, which had drifted away, and we saw an encampment of 
their warriors, where we judged by the view there were at least 
one hundred persons. We were justly alarmed, and on the point 
of returning to the village we had left, from which we were as yet 
but ten leagues distance. 

These Scioux are the most cruel of all the Indians, and we 
should have been lost if we had fallen into their hands. They 
are great warriors, but it is principally upon the water that they 
are formidable. They have only small canoes of bark made in 
the form of a gondola, and scarcely larger than the body of a 
man, for they cannot hold more than two or three at the most. 
They row on their knees, managing the oar now on one side and 
now on the other, that is, giving three or four strokes of the oar 
on the right side, and then as many on the left side, but with so 
much dexterity and swiftness, that their canoes seem to fly on 
the water. After having examined all things with attention, we 
concluded that these Indians had struck their intended blow and 
were retiring : we however kept on our guard, and advanced with 

11* 



226 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 



great caution, that we miglit not encounter them. But when we 
had once gained the Mississippi, we went on hj dint of rowing. 
At last, on the 10th of September, I arrived at my dear mission 
in perfect health, after five months' absence. 

I will not tell you of the joy which all felt at seeing us ; you- can 
yourself well imagine that it was great on both sides. But when 
the question came to be settled with regard to keeping the prom- 
ise I had given the Peouarias, to go and live with them, the 
French and the Indians there opposed it, probably because they 
were accustomed to my ways, and were not pleased with the idea 
of a change. Father de Ville was therefore sent thither in my 
place. This Father, who had been but a short time with us, now 
makes it evident by his zeal, by the talent he has for winning 
the Indians, and by the progress he makes among them, that 
God had destined him to that mission, of which he did not think 
me worthy. 

When I was returned to my mission, I blessed Grod for the 
favor with which he had loaded it during my absence. There 
had been that year an abundant harvest of wheat and Indian 
corn. Besides the beauty of the place, we have also salt springs 
in the neighborhood, which are of great use to us. Some cows 
have just been brought to us, which will render us the same ser- 
vices by their labor, that oxen render in France. The attempt 
has been made to tame the wild buffaloes, but always without suc- 
cess. Mines of lead and of tin are not far from hence, and 
would perhaps be found to be extensive, as I said above, if some 
intelligent person should employ himself in exi^loring them 
We are but thirty leagues distance from the Missouri or Peki 
tanoui. This is a large river which empties into the Mississippi 
and they assert that it is of even greater length than that river 
It is at the source of this river that the best mines of the Span 
iards are situated. We are also very near the river Oi/abache, which 
likewise empties itself below us into the Mississippi. By means 



FATHER MAREST'S JOURNEYS. 227 

of this river one could easily trade with the Miamisj and with a 
great numbei; of other nations much more distant, for it extends 
even to the country of the Iroquois. 

All these advantages exceedingly favor the design which some 
Frenchmen have formed of establishing themselves in our vil- 
lage. To inform you whether establishments of this kind will 
contribute to the advantage of our religion, is a point which it 
would not be easy for me to settle. Should the French who 
come among us resemble those whom I have seen in other places, 
who edify our neophytes by their piety and by the regularity of 
their lives, nothing would be more comforting to us, or more use- 
ful to the progress of the Gospel. But if unhappily any of them 
should make a profession of licentiousness, or perhaps of irre- 
ligion, as it is to be feared, might take place in our mission, their 
pernicious example would make a deeper impression on the 
minds of the Indians than all that we could say to preserve them 
from the same disorders. They would not fail to reproach us, 
as they have already done in some places, that we take advan- 
tage of the facility with which they believe us, that the laws of 
Christianity are not as severe as we represent them to be, since 
it is not to be credited that persons as enlightened as the French, 
and brought up in the bosom of religion, would be willing to 
rush to their own destruction, and precipitate themselves into 
hell, if it were true that such and such an action merited a pun- 
ishment so terrible. All the reasoning which the missionary 
could oppose to this impression produced by evil example, would 
have no influence over the minds of a people, who are scarcely 
touched except by what strikes the senses. Therefore, my Rev- 
erend Father, aid me to pray the Lord that He will render my 
apprehensions unfounded, and that He will continue to pour out 
His blessings on my feeble labors. I commend myself to your 
holy prayers, and am with respect, &c. 

P. GrABRiEL Marest, Missionary. 



228 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

[The fears of Father Marest with regard to the Mission were fully 
realized. The French who settled there soon degenerated, and gradually 
assimilated their manners to those of the Indians among whom they lived, 
while the evil of their example was of course felt by the Christian Indians, 
until it became at last ruinous to the Mission.] 



VOYAGE UP THE MISSISSIPPI, 



1727. 



LETTER VIII 



FROM FATHER DU POISSON, MISSIONARY TO THE AKENSAS, 
TO FATHER * * * . 



Have you no desire, my dear Friend, to receive some informa- 
tion with regard to the world, which, while it has the least possi- 
ble claim to be considered as curious, yet costs the most to acquire 
by experience ? I refer to the manner of a voyage on the Missis- 
sippi — the character of this country, so extolled, and also so de- 
cried at this time in France — and the nature of the people who 
are to be found here. There is nothing else indeed about which 
I can write you at present ; if, therefore, the relation I am going 
to give of our voyage is not interesting, you must ascribe it to the 
country ; if it should prove too long, you must refer it to the 
great desire I feel of keeping up my intercourse with you. 

During our stay at New Orleans, we had seen peace and good 
order re-established through the care and wisdom of the new 
Commander-General. There were two parties among those at 
the head of affairs. They called the one, the Great Company, 
and the other the Little Company. These divisions are now 
broken up, and there is every reason to hope that the Colony 
will be re-established on a more solid foundation than ever. But 
whatever might happen, we expected each day the arrival of the 
Gironde^ on board of which were Fathers Tartarin, Doutreleau, 
one of our brethren, and some nuns. This it was which induced 
us to hasten our departure, that we might spare the Reverend 
Father de Beaubois an increase of embarrassment, although this 



232 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

was a bad season for a voyage up the Mississippi. Besides, this 
Father had on his hands brother Simon, who with some boat- 
men had descended from the Illinois country, and had been wait- 
ing for us for four or five months. Simon is a proselyte of the mis- 
sion among the Illinois, and the boatmen here are persons who 
are engaged to row in the pirogue or boat, and we may also add, 
to try the patience of those whom they conduct.* 

We embarked then on the 25th of May, 1727, the Fathers 
Souel and Dumas with myself, under the direotion of the good 
man Simon. The Fathers de Guienne and le Petit, being obliged 
in a few days to take a different route ; the former, as you 
know, to the Alibamoiis^ and the latter to the Chasses. Our bag- 
gage and that of our boatmen occupied a space, which filled up 
our two boats to more than a foot above the sides. We were 
perched up on a heap of chests and packages, without being able 
even to change our position, and it had already been prophesied 
to us that we could not go far with this equipage. In ascending 
the Mississippi we coast along by the shore in consequence of 
the force of the current. We had scarcely lost sight of New Or- 
leans, when a projecting branch which had not been noticed by 
our helmsman, caught in a chest, overturned it, caused it to mako 
a somerset upon a young man who was near, and rudely struck 
Father Souel. Fortunately it broke in this first effort, or both 
the chest and the young man would have been in the river. This 
accident decided us, when we arrived at Chapitulas, about three 
leagues distance from New Orleans, to despatch some one to 
Father de Beaubois, to ask him for a much larger boat. 

During all this time we were among old acquaintances. The 

[* Throughout this letter Father du Poisson seems fond of a play upon 
words, the point of which it is impossible to convey in a translation. We 
give, therefore, the French: — "On appelle ici engages des gens qui so 

louent pour ramer et I'on pourroit ajouter, pour faire enrager ceux 

qu'ils conduisent."] 



VOYAGE UP THE MISSISSIPPI. 233 

barbarous name which the country bears, shows that it has been 
in other times inhabited by savages, and at present they apply 
this title to five grants which are along the Mississippi. M. Du- 
breuil, a Parisian, received us into his. The next three belong 
to three Canadian brothers, who came into the country to settle, 
with nothing but the clothes on their back and the stick in their 
hand, but who have more advanced their fortunes than the grantees 
in Franco, who have sent out millions to establish their grants, 
which at the present time are for the most part ruined.* The 
fifth belongs to M. de Koli, a Swiss by birth, Seigneur of the 
Manor of Livry, near Paris, one of the most honorable men that 
can be found. He had come over in the same ship with us, to see 
for himself the condition of his grant, for which he had fitted out 
ships, and subjected himself to endless expenses. There are in 
each of these grants at least sixty negroes, who cultivate Indian 
corn, rice, indigo, and tobacco. These are the parts of the colony 
which are most flourishing. I now am speaking to you of a 
grant ; I shall also have occasion presently to speak of a planta- 
tion and a settlement. You perhaps do not know what all these 
are ; have patience then to read the explanation. 

They call a Grant a certain extent of territory granted by the 
India Company to one person alone, or to many who have formed 
together a partnership to clear the lands and make them valua- 
ble. These were the persons, who in the days of the great Mis- 
sissippi bubblef were called the Counts and the Marquises of 

[* Another play upon ■words, which he has marked in Italics, that it may 
not escape the reader — " Qui ont envoye des millions -ponr fonder leurs con- 
cessions qui sont fondues k present pour la plupart."] 

[t This allusion was well understood in 1727. It refers to the Mississippi 
scheme of Law, the celebrated financial adventurer, who, in 171G, established 
his bank in Paris under the patronage of the Duke of Orleans. It had 
annexed to it a Mississippi Company, which had grants of land in Louisiana, 
and was expected to realize immense sums by planting and commerce. In 
1718 it was declared a Royal Bank, and such was the extent of its business 



234 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

Mississippi. Thus the grantees are the aristocracy of this 
country. The greater part have never left France, but have 
equipped ships filled with directors, stewards, storekeepers, clerks, 
workmen of difi"erpnt trades, provisions and goods of all kinds. 
Their business was, to penetrate into the woods, to build their 
cabins there, to make choice of lands, and to burn the canes and 
trees. These beginnings seemed too hard to people not accus- 
tomed to sach kind of labor ; the directors and their subalterns 
for the most part amused themselves in places where there were 
some French already settled; there they consumed their pro- 
visions, and the work was scarcely commenced before the grant 
was entirely ruined. The workman badly paid, or badly fed, 
refused to labor, or else seized on his own pay, and the stores 
were plundered. Was not all this perfectly French ? But this 
was in part the obstacle which has prevented the country from 
being settled, as it should have been, after the prodigious expense 
which has been lavished upon it. 

They call a Plantation a smaller portion of land granted by the 
company. A man with his wife, or his associate, clears a small 
section, builds him a house with four forked sticks, which he covers 
with bark, plants some corn and rice for his food ; another year 

and funds, that the shares rose to twenty times their original value. All 
France was seized with a rage for gambling, and happy were they Avho 
could acquire this imaginary wealth by entirely stripping themselves of all 
their real property. In 1720 Law was made Comptroller-General of the 
finances, and regarded as the Plutus of France, saw clients of all ranks at 
his levee, which rendered him proud and insolent in proportion. At length 
the baseless fabric of this prosperity began to give way, and the shares sunk 
in value as rapidly as they had risen. Law was obliged to resign his post, 
after having held it only five months, and for personal safety leave the 
kingdom. He took with him but a remnant of his once immense fortune, 
and died in obscurity at Venice in 1729. Gorton! s Biog. Diet. The history 
of L<3w's own grant in Louisiana will be found in the next letter of this 
volume.] 



VOYAGE UP THE MISSISSIPPI. 235 

he raises more provisions, and begins a plantation of tobacco, and 
if finally he attains to the possession of three or four negroes, be- 
hold the extent to which he can reach. This is what they call a 
flantatioii and a planter. But how many are as wretched as when 
they commenced ? 

They call a Settlement, a section in which there are many 
plantations not far distant from each other, forming a kind of 
village. 

Besides these grantees and planters, there are also in this 
country, people who have no other business than that of vagabond- 
izing. 1st, Women and girls taken from the hospitals of Paris, 
from Salpctriere, or from other places of equally good reputa- 
tion, who find the laws of marriage too strict, and the care of a 
single household too troublesome. Voyages of four hundred 
leagues present nothing to terrify these heroines ; I have met 
with two of them, whose adventures would furnish materials for a 
romance. 2d, The voyagers ; these are for the most part young 
people sent for some reason to Mississippi by their parents or by 
justice, and who, finding it too low to dig the earth, prefer en- 
gaging themselves as rowers, and wandering about from one shore 
to the other. 3d, The hunters ; these at the end of the summer 
ascend the Mississippi to the distance of two or three hundred 
leagues to the buffalo country ; they dry in the sun the flesh on 
the ribs of the buffaloes, salt the rest, and also make bear's oil. 
Towards spring they descend, and thus furnish provisions to the 
Colony. The country which extends from New Orleans even to 
this place, renders this business necessary, because it is not suf- 
ficiently inhabited, or enough cleared to raise cattle there. At 
the distance of only thirty leagues from here they begin to find 
the buffaloes, and they are in herds on the prairies or by the 
rivers. During the past year a Canadian came down to New 
Orleans with four hundred and eighty tongues of buffaloes he 



230 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

had killed during liis winter campaign with the aid of only one 
associate. 

We left the Chapitoulas on the 29tli. Although we had sent 
for a much larger boat, and in spite of the new stowing which our 
people made, we were almost as much crowded as before. We 
had but two leagues to make tliat day, to reach Burnl Canes* 
the residence of M. de ]5enac, director of the grant of M. d'Ar- 
tagnan, where we were to sleep. He received us in a very 
friendly manner, and regaled us with a carp from the waters of 
the Mississippi, which weighed thirty-five pounds. The Burnt 
Canes is the name given to two or three grants along the Missis- 
sippi ; the place is very much like the Chapitoulas, while the 
situation appears to me to be more beautiful. 

The next day we advanced six leagues, which is about as much 
as they can ever accomplish in ascending the river, and we slept, 
or rather encamped at the Germans.] These are the quarters 
assigned to the lingering remnant of that company of Germans 
who had died of misery, some at the East, and some on arriving 
in Louisiana.| Great poverty is visible in their dw6llings. It 
is here properly that we begin to learn what it is to voyage on 
the Mississippi, and I am going to give you a little idea of it, so 
that I shall not be obliged to repeat the same thing every day. 

We had set out at the season of the heavy floods, when the 
river had risen more than forty feet above its ordinary level, and 
as almost all the country is composed of low lands, it was of 
course inundated. Thus we were exposed to the difficulty of not 
finding cahanage, that is to say, ground on which to do our cook- 
ing and to sleep. When we could find it we slept in this way. 
If the ground was still muddy, as was the case when the water 

[* Cannes brCildes.] [t Aux AUcmauds.] 

[X Some further account of these Germans is given in the next letter. They 
were a portion of the settlers brought out for Law's grant, but did not arrive 
until after his fall, when they were suffered to die from want.] 



VOYAGE UP THE MISSISSIPPI. 237 

began to subside, tbey commenced by making a couch of branches, 
that the mattress might not rest on the mud. Then they spread 
upon the earth a skin, or a mattress, and clothes, if they had 
them. They bent three or four canes into a semicircle, both 
ends of which they fixed in the earth, and placed them at proper 
distances from each other, according to the length of the mattress ; 
on these they fasten three others crosswise, and then spread over 
this slight framework the baire^ that is, a large cloth, the ends 
of which they fold under the mattress with great care. It is 
under these tombs, where we are stifled with heat, that we are 
obliged to sleep. The first thing we do on reaching land, is to 
arrange our baire with all diligence, for otherwise the musquitoes 
do not permit us to use it. If one could sleep in the open air, 
he could enjoy the coolness of the night, and would be too happy. 

There is much more cause of complaint when no cabanagc can 
be found. Then they tie the boat to a tree. If they can find a 
raft of trees, they do their cooking on top of it, but if not, we go 
to sleep without supper, or rather we neither sup at all nor sleep 
at all, since we are resting in the same situation in which we were 
during the day, with the addition of being exposed through the 
whole night to the fury of the musquitoes. By the way, what is 
here called a raft is a collection of floating trees which the flood 
has uprooted : the current continually sweeping them down, they 
are finally arrested by some tree whose root is in the ground, or 
by a neck of land, and there accumulate one upon the other, and 
form enormous piles. We have found some which would furnish 
the whole of your good city of Tours with wood for three winters. 
These places are difiicult and dangerous to pass. It is necessary 
to sail close to these rafts ; the current there is rapid, and if it 
dashes the boat against the floating trees, it disappears at once, 
and is swallowed up in the waters under the raft. 

It was also the season of the most excessive heats which in- 
creased each day. During the whole voyage we had but a single 



238 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

entire day of cloudy weather, always the burning sun upon our 
heads, without being able even to use over our boats a small awn- 
ing which might afford us a little shade. Besides, the height of 
the trees and the denseness of the woods, which through all the 
route, are on both banks of the river, did not permit ns to feel 
the least breath of wind. Although the river is a half league in 
breadth, the breeze does not make itself felt except in the middle 
of the stream, and it is necessary to cross it, to catch the slightest 
breath of air. We drew up, without cessation, the water of the 
Mississippi through reeds, to quench our thirst, and although it 
is very turbid, we experienced no ill effect. Another refreshment 
we had, was from the grapes hanging almost everywhere from 
the trees, and we snatched them in passing, or gathered them 
when we landed. There are in this country, at least among the 
x\kensas, two kinds of grapes, of which the one ripens in summer, 
and the other in autumn. They are of the same species ; the 
grapes themselves are very small, and they afford a juice which 
is very thick. There is also another kind, the cluster of which 
has but three grapes, which are as large as the damask plum. 
Our Indians call them asi, contai raisin^ 'prune. 

Our stock of provisions consisted of biscuit, butter which was 
salt and very rancid, rice, corn, and peas. The biscuit gave out 
when we were a little above Natchez. Our butter was gone 
when we were only ten or twelve leagues distant from New Or- 
leans ; we therefore fed on the peas, and afterwards on the rice, 
which did not fail until our arrival at this place. The seasoning 
consisted of salt, bear's oil, and a particularly good appetite. 
The most ordinary food of this country, almost the only food of 
many persons, and above all of the voyagers, is the gru. They 
bruise the corn to remove the outer skin, boil it for a long time 
in water, the French sometimes seasoning it with oil, and this 
constitutes the gru. The Indians pound the corn very fine, cook 
it sometimes with fat, but oftener with water only, and this is 



VOYAGE UP THE MISSISSIPPI. 239 

the sagamitc. The gru^ indeed, is used instead of bread ; a 
spoonful oi gru and a small piece of meat are taken together. 

But the greatest torment, in comparison \Yith which all the 
rest would be but sport, which passes all belief, and has never 
been even imagined in France, still less actually experienced, is 
that of the musquitoes — the cruel persecution of the musquitoes. 
The plague of Egypt, I think, was not more cruel — Dimittam in 
ie ct m servos tiws ct in populum tuum et iii clomos tuas omne genus 
muscarum et implebunter domus JEgyptiorum diversi generis et uni- 
versa terra in qua Juerint* They have here the fraye d^abordj 
and also the hrulots. The latter is a species of very small gnat, 
whose sting is so sharp, or rather so burning, that it seems as if 
a spark of fire had fallen on the spot. There are also the mous 
iiquesj which are like the brulots, with the exception that they are 
much smaller, so that one can with difficulty see them ; their 
attacks are particularly directed against the eyes. There are 
also the gu^pes, and the thons ; in one word, there are omne genus 
mwscarum.-\ 

But none of these others are worthy to be mentioned with the 
musquitoes. This little insect has caused more swearing since 
the French have been in Mississippi, than had previously taken 
place in all the rest of the world. Whatever else may happen, a 
swarm of these musquitoes embark in the morning with the voy- 
ager. When they pass among the willows or near the canes, as 
very often takes place, a new swarm fastens with fury on the 
boat, and never quits it. It is necessary to keep the handker- 
chief in continual exercise, and this scarcely frightens them. 
They make a short circuit, and return immediately to the attack. 

[* Exodus viii. 28. I -will send swarms of flies upon tliee, and upon thy 
servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses ; and the houses of the 
Egyptians *hall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon 
they are.] 

[t Every kind of fly.] 



240 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

The arms become weary mucli sooner than they do. When we 
land to take dinner, which is between ten o'clock and two or 
three, there is an entire army to be combatted. We make a 
boucane, that is, a great fire, which we stifle afterwards with green 
branches. But it is necessary for us to place ourselves in the 
very thickest of the smoke, if we wish to escape the persecution, 
and I do not know which is worse, the remedy or the evil. After 
dinner we wish to take a short nap at the foot of a tree, but that 
is absolutely impossible ; the time allotted to repose is passed in 
contending with the musquitoes. We embark again in their 
company, and at sunset, on landing, it is necessary immediately 
to run to cut canes, wood, and green branches, to make the baircj 
the fire for cooking, and the boucane. There, it is each one for 
himself, but it is not one army, but many armies which we have 
to combat, for that time of day belongs to the musquitoes. One 
is perfectly eaten and devoured. They get into the mouth, the 
nostrils, and the ears; the face, the hands, the body are all 
covered ; their sting penetrates the dress, and leaves a red mark 
on the flesh, which swells on those who are not as yet inured to 
their bite. Chicagon, to enable some of his nation to compre- 
hend what a multitude of French he had seen, told them, that he 
had beheld " as many in the great village" (at Paris) " as there 
were boughs on the trees, and musquitoes in the woods.'''' After 
having supped in haste, we are impatient to bury ourselves under 
the baire.^ although we know that we go there to be stifled with 
the heat. With what address, with what skill does each one 
glide under his baire! But they always find that some have 
entered with them, and one or two are sufficient to insure a mis- 
erable night. 

Such are the inconveniences of a voyage on the Mississippi. 
And yet how many voyagers endure them all for the prospect of 
a gain even the most moderate ! There was in a boat which 
ascended at the same time with our own, one of those heroines of 



VOYAGE UP THE MISSISSIPPI. 241 

wliom I have already spoken, who was going to rejoin her hero. 
She did nothing but chatter, laugh, and sing. And if for a little 
temporal benefit, if even for crime itself, one can endure a voyage 
like this, should men fear it who are appointed to labor for the 
salvation of souls ! 

I return to my journal. On the 31st, we made seven leagues. 
In the evening, no cabanage. Water and biscuit for supper — 
slept in the boat — devoured by the musquitoes through the night. 
Note. — This was the Vigil of Whitsunday, a fast-day. 

The 1st of June we arrived at Oumas, a French plantation, 
where we found enough ground not overflowed to erect our 
cabins. We remained there during the next day to give rest to 
our crew. In the evening, Father Dumas and I embarked in a 
boat which during the night was to go the same distance we 
should otherwise have to accomplish on the next day. By this 
means we avoided the intense heat. 

On the 3rd we arrived, early in the morning indeed, at 
Bayagoulas (the destroyed nation), at the house of M. du Buis- 
son, director of the grant of the Messieurs Paris. Here we 
found some beds, which we had almost forgotten how to use, and 
during the morning took that repose which the musej[uitoes had 
not permitted us to gain~ during the night. M. du Buisson 
omitted nothing which could add to our comfort, and regaled us 
with a wild turkey. (TJiis is in every respect like the domestic 
turkey, except that the taste is finer. ) The grant appeared to us 
well arranged and in a good condition. It would have been worth 
still more if it had always had as good a director. Our people 
arrived in the evening, and the next day we left the Bayagoulas^ 
charmed with the pleasant manners and civilities of M. du Buisson. 

Framboise, Chief of the Siii?nachas, who had been a slave to 
M. de Bienville, had come hither to see us, and had invited us to 
dine at his home, which we should have to pass about noon. He 
had before given the same invitation when he descended with his 

12 



S42 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

tribe to New Orleans to chant the calumet before the new Gov- 
ernor. This gave occasion to an adventure, which we were glad 
to get through with, and the recital of which you will perhaps be 
equally glad to get through reading ; but n^importe^ I will give 
it you. 

The inundation had obliged the Sitimachas to penetrate deeply 
into the wood, and we therefore fired off a gun to announce our 
arrival. The sound of a gun in the woods of Mississippi is like 
a clap of thunder, and immediately afterwards a little Indian 
presented himself before us. We had a young man with us who 
was acquainted with the language ; he therefore questioned him, 
and told us in reply, that the little Indian was sent to conduct 
us, and that the village was not far distant. It is necessary to 
observe, in passing, that this young man had an excellent appe- 
tite, and that he was well aware we should not be able to do any 
cooking where we then were, on account of the water.' Trusting 
to his word we set out in an Indian boat which happened to be 
there, the child guiding us. We had not gone far when the 
water for our boat failed, and there was scarcely anything but 
mud. Our people, who assured us that it was only a ste'p, pushed 
on the boat by main strength, encouraged by the hope of their 
anticipated feast with Framboise, but at last we came to nothing 
but prostrate trees, mud, and deep holes filled with stagnant 
water. The little Indian here left us and disappeared in a 
moment. What were we to do in these woods without a guide ? 
Father Souel sprang into the water, and we followed him. It 
was certainly pleasant to see us floundering among the rocks and 
brambles, and in the water up to our knees. Our greatest diffi- 
culty was to withdraw our shoes from the mud. At last, well 
bemired and quite exhausted, we arrived at the settlement, which 
was distant from the river more than half a league. Framboise 
was surprised at our arrival, and coldly remarked, that he had 
nothing. In this incident we recognized the traits of an Indian. 



VOYAGE UP THE MISSISSIPPI. 243 



Our interpreter had deceived us, for Framboise had not sent to 
find us ; he had not expected us, and had thought that he risked 
nothing by inviting us, being persuaded that the inundation 
would prevent our getting to his residence. Whatever might 
happen, we were obliged to sound a speedy retreat and without 
a guide. After wandering a little, we found again the Indian 
boat, stowed ourselves within it, and regained our own people as 
we best could. Those who had remained amused themselves 
with our appearance and our adventure ; and never did we have 
so much laughter, or rather it is the only time that we had any 
thing to laugh about. As I said before, there was no ground on 
which to do our cooking, and it was necessary to content our- 
selves with a piece of biscuit. In the evening we arrived at a 
spot above the Manchat^ a branch of the Mississippi which 
empties into the Lake Maiircpas ; no ground for cooking — no 
cabanage — millions of musquitoes during the night. Second note. 
This was a fast-day; the waters began to fall, which gave us 
reason to hope that we should not be obliged to sleep much more 
in the boat. 

The Sitimach-as dwelt at the lower end of the river in the early 
days of the colony, but having at that time killed M. de Saint- 
C6me, a Missionary, M. de Bienville, who commanded for the 
king, revenged his death. The map of Mississippi incorrectly 
places the nation of the Sitimachas, which is not the only fault 
we find there. After this little criticism on Mississippian eru- 
dition, I return to our voyage. 

On the 4th we slept at Baton-Rouge. This place receives its 
name from a tree painted red by the Indians, and which serves 
as a boundary for the hunting grounds of the nations who are 
above and below. We saw there the remains of a French plan- 
tation, abandoned on account of the deer, the rabbits, the wild-cats, 
and the bears, which ravaged everything. Four of our people 



244 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

went on a hunting expedition, and returned next day without 
any other game than an owl. 

On the 7th we dined at the grant of M. Mezieres : it has the 
air of a plantation which is just commencing. We saw there one 
hovel, some negroes, and a single laborer, who did us neither 
good nor ill. We cabined for the night at Point- Coupee^ before 
the house of a planter, who received us with great attention. 
The rain detained us there next morning, and permitted us du- 
ring the whole day to make but a single league, as far as the re- 
sidence of another planter. His house, which was constructed 
from four forked sticks, gave us, for better and for worse, a shel- 
ter from a frightful storm. How much need have these poor 
people of consolation, both spiritual and temporal ! 

On the 9th we had scarcely embarked when there came from 
the woods a most execrable odor. They told us that it pro- 
ceeded from an animal close on shore, which they called bHe pu- 
ante and which spreads this disagreeable smell every where about 
it. We cabined for the night at the Little Tonicas, in the canes ; 
during the winter they set them on fire, but during the summer 
it is necessary to cut them to be able to cabin there. The Indian 
village is up the country ; from thence to the Great Tonkas it 
is ten or twelve leagues by the Mississippi ; but by land 
there is nothing but a mere neck which separates the two vil- 
lages. Formerly they made a portage, crossing the land. They 
still call this passage the portage of the Cross. The river had 
penetrated this point, and inundated it entirely during these 
great floods, and it was this place that we had to cross the next 
day, that is to say, a distance of two leagues, to avoid the ten 
leagues which it would be necessary to go if we continued our 
route by the Mississippi. We accordingly took an Indian at the 
Little Tonkas to act as our guide. 

On the 10th we entered these woods, this sea, this torrent, for 
it is all these at once. Our guide, whose language none of us 



VOYAGE UP THE MISSISSIPPI. 245 

understood, addressed us by signs ; ona interpreted these in one 
way, and another in a different way, so that we did every thing 
at hazard. However, when a person has entered these woods, it 
is necessary to go on or perish, for if he allows himself to get 
into the current for the purpose of returning, the rapid stream 
will certainly dash the boat against a tree, which will break it 
into a thousand pieces. If it had not been for that, we should 
have retired from such an evil undertaking immediately, as soon 
as we saw ourselves embarked in it. It was necessary unceasing- 
ly to turn about the boat in a zigzag course to prevent the bows 
from striking against the trees, and we often found it wedged be- 
tween two trees which did not give it sufficient space to pass, con- 
trary to the expectation of those who steered it. Now there was 
a torrent of which the entrance was almost closed by a raft or 
perhaps by two trees of great length and enormous thickness, 
prostrated across the two banks of the current, and which ren- 
dered it more impetuous ; now, the entrance would be entirely 
barred by a single tree, and it was necessary to change our di- 
rection at the risk of finding the same obstacle a moment after- 
wards, or of not finding sufficient water, but instead of it, mud 
and brambles. Then, it became necessary to push on the boat 
by main strength. Often one of our people was obliged to spring 
into the water even to his neck, to go and make fast the boat to 
a tree which extended out, so that if the strength of the current 
should exceed that of the oars, and cause the boat to recede, it 
might not dash itself against a tree. Our own boat ran the 
greatest risk ; it began to fill in a current which had forced it 
back, and we saw in a moment that it was going to sink. The 
strength of the oars saved us, and by good fortune there happened 
not to be at that place either raft or uprooted trees. After 
having passed another, which only left a space the size of the 
boat, it remained for a moment immoveable between the strength 
of the current and that of the oars ; we did not know whether it 



246 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

was going to advance or be driven back, that is to say, for a mo- 
ment we were vibrating between life and death ; for if the oars 
had yielded to the strength of the current, we should have gone 
back to be dashed against a large tree which almost entirely bar- 
red the current. Our people in the other boat, who had passed 
before us, waited in a sad and mournful silence, and uttered a 
loud cry of joy when they saw us out of danger. I should never 
end if I were to recount to you all the toils of this day, The 
passage is well named Lhc j^assage of the Cross, and a voyager 
who knows what it is, and does not decline attempting it, even if 
he should escape its dangers, merits a place in a madhouse. And 
by this side-cut they abridge the voyage but a very short day's 
sail. The Lord saved our lives, and we at l^t reached the end 
and succeeded in accomplishing these two fatal leagues. 

We arrived then at four or five in the evening at the Great 
Tonicas. The chief of this nation came to the bank of the river 
to receive us, grasped our hands, embraced us, spread out a mat 
and some skins before the cabin, and invited us to sleep there. 
Then he presented us with a large plate of blackberries, and a 
manne (that is, a basket) of green beans. It was truly a feast 
for us, for the passage of the Cross had not permitted us to stop 
for dinner. 

This chief had been baptized, as well as several of his nation, 
by M. Davion, but after the return of this missionary to France, 
whither he had retired a short time after the arrival of the Ca- 
puchin Fathers in the country, he had scarcely retained any trace 
of Christianity about him, except the name, a medal, and a chap- 
elet. He spoke a little French, and asked us the news of M. 
Davion. We answered, that he was dead, at which the chief tes- 
tified his regret, and seemed to us to desire to have a missionary. 
He showed us also a medal of the king, which the Commander 
General had sent him in the name of his Majesty, with a writing 
which certified that it was in consideration of the attachment he 



VOYAGE UP THE MISSISSIPPI. 247 

had always bad for the French that this present Avas given him. 
There are some French at the Tonicas, who made great com- 
plaints to us with regard to their having no missionary. Father 
Dumas said Mass the next day, early in the morning, in the 
cabin of the chief, and we were edified by the eagerness shown 
by some of the French to profit by this opportunity of partaking 
of the sacraments. 

On the 1 1th we passed the night for the last time in the boat. 
On the 12th we cabined at Ecors hlancs^ and on the 13th at 
Natchez. "We immediately made our visit to the Reverend Father 
Philibert, a Capuchin, w^ho is the Cure. He is a man of good 
sense, who was not frightened at seeing us, as his brethren had 
been at New Orleans ; in other respects, he is a man of worth 
and very zealous. We afterwards descended to the bank of the 
river to make there our haires. 

The French settlement at Natchez has become very important. 
They raise there a great deal of tobacco, which is esteemed the 
best in the country. It is a district which is very elevated, and 
from whence one can see the Mississippi winding along as in a 
chasm ; about it is a continual succession of mounds and deep 
holes, but the ground of the grants is much more level and 
beautiful. The excessive heat prevented us from going thither 
or to the Indian village. 

The village is distant one league from that of the French : it 
is the only nation, or almost the only one in which we see any 
kind of government and religion. They keep up a perpetual 
fire, and have received from tradition, that if it should happen to 
be extinguished, it^is necessary for them to go and rekindle it 
among the Tonkas. The chief has considerable authority over 
those of his nation, and they are accustomed to obey him. This 
IS not the case among the greater part of the other nations ; 
they have their chiefs only in name, each one is his own master, 
and yet we never see any sedition among them. When the chief 



248 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

of the Natchez dies, a certain number of men and women are 
obliged to immolate themselves to serve him in the other world. 
Many are already devoted to this death against the time when 
he shall die. On these occasions they strangle them. The 
French have done all in their power to prevent this barbarity, 
but they find great difficulty in saving any one. These people 
say that their ancestors crossed the seas to come to this country, 
and those who knew their habits and customs better than myself, 
assert that they came from China. 

However this may be, the Tonkas and the Natchez are two 
considerable nations who ought to have each a missionary. The 
chief of the Tonkas is already a Christian, as I have said before ; 
he has much influence over his own people, and in other respects 
every one agrees that this nation is very well disposed for 
Christianity. A missionary would find the same advantage 
among the Natchez^ if he should have the happiness to convert 
the chief ; but these two nations are in the district of the Keve- 
rend Capuchin Fathers, who even to this time have never ac- 
quired a knowledge of any Indian language. 

We left Natchez on the 17th, and embarked, the Father Du- 
mas and myself, in a boat which went out on a hunting expedi- 
tion. Our people had not yet prepared their provisions, that is 
to say, they had not purchased and pounded their corn. 

As the flats now began to be seen, we found there the eggs of 
the turtle, which were a new feast for us. These eggs are a lit- 
tle larger than pigeon's eggs, and are found in the sand of the 
fiats, where the sun hatches them. The tracks which the turtles 
leav6, enable us to discover the places where they have concealed 
their eggs. They are found in great quantities, and are made 
into omelettes, which are much relished by people who are accus- 
tomed to eat nothing but gru. 

They reckon the distance from New Orleans to Natchez at 
nearly a hundred leagues, and from Natchez to Yatous, at forty. 



VOYAGE UP THE MISSISSIPPI. 249 

"We made this second passage without any other adventure, ex- 
cept that during one night we were overtaken by a violent storm, 
accompanied with thunder and lightning. You may judge 
whether a person is well protected from the rain under the cover- 
ing of a single cloth. The next day an Indian who was ascend- 
ing the river with us went on shore for the purpose of hunting. 
"We continued our route, but had scarcely gone half a league 
when he appeared on the bank with a deer on his shoulders. We 
therefore cabined on the first flat we came to, for the purpose of 
drying our clothes and making a great feast. These repasts, 
which take place after a good chase, are perfectly savage in the 
way they are conducted, though nothing can be more pleasant. 
The animal is in pieces in a moment ; nothing is lost ; our voy- 
agers place it on the fire or in the pot, each one according to his 
taste ; their fingers and some little sticks supply the place of all 
kinds of utensils for cooking and for the table. To see them 
covered only with a cloth round the loins, more athletic, more 
browned than the Indians themselves, stretched out on the sand 
or squatting down like monkeys, and eating what they hold in 
their hands, one can scarcely know whether it is a troop of gip- 
sies, or of people who are assisting at a witch festival, 

On the 23d we arrived at Yafous, a French post within two 
leagues of the mouth of the river of that name, which empties 
into the Mississippi. There is an officer with the title of Com- 
mander, together with a dozen soldiers, and three or four plant- 
ers. The grant of M. le Blanc was at this place, but it has gone 
to ruin like the others. The ground is elevated by mounds, little 
of it is cleared, and the air is, they say, unwholesome. The 
Commander, in honor of our arrival fired ofi" all the artillery of 
the fort, which consists of two pieces of very small cannon. The 
fort is a barrack in which the Commander lodges, surrounded by a 
single palisade, but well defended by the situation of the place. 
He received us in a very friendly way, and we cabined in his court- 

12* 



250 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

yard. Our two boats, one of which carried Father Souel. Mis- 
sionary to the Yatous, arrived two days after us ; the fort paid 
him the same honors which had been given to us. This dear Fa- 
ther had been dangerously ill during the voyage from Natchez to 
Yatous, and had begun to recover ; but since my arrival here I 
have heard from him, that he had suffered a relapse of his illness, 
but was again convalescent when he wrote me. During our stay 
at Yatous, he purchased a house, or rather the cabin of a French- 
man, while waiting till he could make his arrangements to settle 
himself among the Indians, who are at a league distance from the 
French post. There are three different villages which speak three 
different languages, and compose one nation, which is not very 
numerous. Beyond this I know nothing with regard to them. 

On the 26th we re-embarked, the Father Dumas and myself. 
From Yatous to the Akensas they reckon the distance at sixty 
leagues. We arrived there on the 7th of July, without any other 
adventure than having made a great feast of bear's meat, which 
one of our people had procured in the chase. 

The villages of the Akcnscis are incorrectly placed on the map. 
The river at its mouth makes a fork, and into the upper branch 
empties a river which the Indians call Niska, or White Water , 
which is not marked at all on the map, although it is a very largo 
stream. We enter by the lower branch ; from the mouth of this 
branch to the place where the river separates into two streams, it 
is seven leagues, and from thence it is two leagues to the first 
village, which contains two nations, the Tourimas and the Tou- 
gingas ; from this first village to the second there are two leagues 
by water and one league by land ; this latter they call the village 
of the Sauthouis ; the third village is a little higher up on the 
same bank of the river ; this is the village of the Kappas ; on 
the other bank, and opposite to this last village, are the French 
habitations. These three Indian villages, which contain four na- 
tions bearing different names, are known by the common name 



VOYAGE UP THE MISSISSIPPI. 251 

of the Akensas, which name the French have also given to the 
river, although the Indians call it 7ii gitai^ '• Kcd v^ater." They 
speak the same language, and are in all about t^Yelve hundred 
souls. 

We were a short distance from these settlements, when a com- 
pany of young Indians having perceived us, uttered a loud cry 
and ran to the village : a French boat which had preceded us one 
day, had given notice of our arrival. We found all the village 
assembled at the landing place ; no sooner had we landed, than 
an Indian enquired of one of our people, whom he knew, and 
who understood the language, " How many moons the Black 
Chief would remain among them ?" ^'- Always," replied the 
Frenchman. " You are deceiving me," was the Indian's imme- 
diate answer. The Frenchman assured him that he was not, but 
that " they should always have him among them, to teach them 
to know the Great Spirit^ as had been done among the Illinois." 
The Indian believed him and said — " My heart laughs when you 
tell me this." I induced this same Frenchman to conduct me by 
land to the village of the Sauihouis ; before arriving there we 
found the Chief under his aniithon, (this is the name which the 
French have given to a kind of cabin open on all sides, which the 
Indians use in the wilderness, that is, their open country, and 
when they wish to take the cool air.) He invited me to lie 
down on his mat, and presented me with some sagamiie* He 
spoke a single word to his little child who was there, and he im- 
mediately uttered the Indian cry, shouting with all his strength, 
2)a?iia7iga sa, panianga sa, " the Black Chief, the Black Chief" 
In an instant the whole village had surrounded the anticJioii. I 
caused them to be told with what design I had come, and could 
hear on all sides the word igaton, which my interpreter explained 
to me, as meaning, " that is good." All this company conducted 

[* TliLs has been explained in the former part of the letter, as a prepara 
tion of corn.] 



252 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

me to the bank of the river, uttering loud cries ; an Indian trans- 
ported us over the river in his boat, and after having walked 
about the eighth of a league, we arrived at the French dwellings. 
I was lodged in the house of the Company of the Indies, which 
was that of the Commander when he is here, and found with 
great satisfaction that I was at the end of these two hundred 
leagues which I had to accomplish. I would rather twice make 
the voyage which we had just finished on the sea at the same sea- 
son, than to recommence this one. The Father Dumas was only 
in the middle of his route to go to the Illinois, and embarked 
again on the morning after his arrival ; from this place to the 
Illinois country he did not find a. single habitation, but they 
scarcely ever failed to kill some bufi"aloes, which very well made 
amends to people who had nothing to live on but some gru. 

I have now reached the end of my long and tedious narrative. 
I have only written for yourself and for one other friend equally 
indulgent with yourself ; it is Father Bernard, to whom I beg 
you to forward this letter. He is at Dijon. I will endeavor 
more fully to satisfy your curiosity, when I am better acquainted 
with the customs of the Indians in this region. You have not 
the same excuse as myself, for you are in the midst of that great 
theatre where the scene changes every day, and materials are 
furnished for the longest and most curious letters. I wrote you 
from New Orleans : have you received my letter ? 

I pray you to present my regards to the Reverend Father de 
Fontenai, and commend me to his holy prayers. I ask also an 
interest in yours. You are both of you always in my memory. 
Present also my respects to the Reverend Father Davaugour, 
and to the dear brother Talard. I pray that dear brother to 
write me by the first opportunity there is of sending to the 
Reverend Father de Beaubois, and above all to furnish me with 
the prints, particularly those representing the different mysteries 
in the life of our Lord : M. Cars will give them to him, if he asks 



VOYAGE UP THE MISSISSIPPI. 253 

him in my name ; lie has promised them to me. This is a great 
means we are able to adopt of giving some idea of the mysteries 
of our religion to the Indians. They always get into ecstacies 
when they see a picture of St. Regis which I have in my cham- 
ber, which was engraved by M. Cars. They place the hand upon 
the mouth, which is a sign of admiration among them. Ouakan 
taquc, they cry out — " It is the Great Spirit." I tell them that 
it is not, that it is one who was a Black Ptobe Chief like myself, 
that he listened attentively to the words of the Great Spirit, and 
observed them through life, and that after his death he went to 
be with him in Heaven. Some pass their hand at different times 
over the face of the Saint, and then carry it to their own face. 
It is a ceremony which they use when they wish to show a mark 
of veneration to any one ; then they place themselves in different 
parts of my chamber, and say each time laughing, " He looks at 
me, he almost speaks, he wants nothing but words." But these 
are trifles, and it is time for both of us to take breath. 



Adieu, &c 



At AkensaSy this 3rd of October ^ 1727. 



MISSION TO THE ARKANSAS, 



1727. 



LETTER IX 



FROM FATHER DU POISSON, MISSIONARY TO THE AKENSAS, TO 
FATHER PATOUILLET. 



Receive the compliments of a poor Mississipjnen, who has 
always esteemed you, and if you will permit him to say so, has 
loved you as much as the best of your friends. The distance 
which Providence has interposed between us, can never efface the 
feelings of regard which I entertain for you, and still less the 
remembrance I have of the friendship you bestowed upon me 
during the years that we lived together. The favor which I ask of 
you henceforth is, to think of me a little, to pray God for me, and 
to give me from time to time the news with regard to yourself, 
which I shall prize so highly. I am not yet sufficiently ac(iuaint- 
ed with the country and, the customs of the Indians, to give you 
much information about them ; I can only tell you that the Mis- 
sissippi does not present anything beautiful to the voyager, any- 
thing as extraordinary as itself ; nothing indeed can disfigure it 
more than the continual forest which lines its two banks, and the 
frightful solitude in which he is during his voyage. Having 
therefore nothing curious to write you concerning this country, 
permit me to tell you what has happened to me since my arrival 
at this post to which Providence destined me. 

Two days after my arrival, the village of the Sauthouis deputed 
two Indians to ask me, whether I was willing they should come 
to chant the calumet. They were in their dress of ceremony, 



258 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

well matacM^ that is, having the body entirely painted of different 
colors, with the tails of wild eats hanging down from places where 
we usually represent the wings of Mercury, the calumet in their 
hands, and on their bodies some little bells, which announced to 
me their arrival even when they were at a distance. I answered 
them, that I was not at all like the French chiefs who com- 
manded warriors, and who came with plunder to make them 
presents ; that I had only come to make known to them the 
Great Spirit with whom they were unacquainted, and I had 
brought with me only those things which were necessary for my 
object, but that nevertheless I accepted their calumet for the time 
when a small canoe should be built for me ; this was postponing 
them indefinitely ; they passed the calumet across my face, and 
then returned with it to carry back my answer. Two days after- 
wards, the chiefs came to make me the same request, adding that 
it was without design that they wished to dance the calumet 
before me. Without design signifies among them, that they make 
a present without any expectation of a return But I was pre- 
pared for all this : I knew that the hope of gaining something 
rendered them so pressing, and that when an Indian gives even 
without design^ it is necessary to give him double in return, or one 
displeases them. I therefore made them the same answer which 
I had given to the deputies. At last they returned again to the 
charge to ask me whether I was willing that at least their young peo- 
ple should come and dance before me without design^ the dance called 
the Scouting^ (it is this which they dance when they send out a 
scouting party against the enemy.) I answered them, that I 
should not at all find it tedious, but their young people could 
come and dance, and that I should see them with pleasure. All 
the village, except the women, accordingly came the next day at 
dawn, and there were nothing but dances, and chants, and 
speeches, until the middle of the day. Their dances, as you may 
well imagine, are something 



I 



MISSION TO THE ARKANSAS. 259 

they keep time is as surprising as the contortions and cflforts they 
make. I saw very well that it would not do to send them away 
without having made a great feast for them, and therefore bor- 
rowed of one of the French, a kettle similar to those which are 
used in the kitchen of the Invalides.* I gave them maize at dis- 
cretion, and all things passed without any confusion. Two of 
them acted as cooks, divided the parts with the greatest impar- 
tiality, and distributed them in the same manner. Nothing was 
to be heard but the ordinary exclamation //o, which each one 
pronounced when they presented him with his portion. Never 
have I seen people eat with a worse grace or better appetites. 
They returned home very well contented, but first some of the 
chiefs spoke to me again on the subject of receiving their calumet : 
I amused them as I had done hitherto, for it is a considerable 
expense to receive their calumet. In the beginning, when it was 
necessary to manage them, the directors of the grants of M. 
Laws, and the Commanders who received their calumet, made 
them great presents, and these Indians have supposed that I was 
going to revive the old custom. But even were I able to do so, I 
should act with exceeding caution, because there might be danger 
that at last they would not hear me speak of religion except from 
motives of interest, since moreover we know from experience that 
the more one gives to the Indians, the less probability is there of 
his being contented, and that gratitude is a virtue of which he 
has not the least idea. 

I have not as yet had sufficient leisure to apply myself to the 
study of their language ; but as they make me frequent visits, I 
put to them the question. Talon jajai? How do you call that? 
I am well enough acquainted with the language to make myself 
understood in the most common matters, and there is no French- 
man here who knows it thoroughly. They have as yet learned it 

[* Meaning probably the Hotel des Invalides in Paris, an asylum for aged 
and invalid soldiers.] 



260 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

but superficially, and only as much as is necessary for purposes 
of trade, so that I at present am as well acquainted with it as 
the}'' are. I foresee, however, that it will be very difficult for me 
to learn as much as is necessary to address these Indians on the 
subject of religion, while I have reason to believe that they think 
I am perfectly acquainted with their language. A Frenchman 
was lately speaking of me to one of them, when the latter said to 
him, " I know that he is a Great Spirit, who understands all 
things." You see that they do me infinitely more honor than I 
merit. Another addressed to me a long harangue, of which I 
understood nothing but the words indatai, " my father," nyginguai^ 
" my sons." I however answered him at random when I saw 
that he was questioning me, ae^ "yes," and igcdoii, " that is good." 
Afterwards he passed his hand over my face and my shoulders, 
and then did the same to himself All these agios being finished, 
he went home with a very contented air. Another came some days 
afterwards to go through the same ceremony. As soon as I saw 
him I sent for a Frenchman, and begged him to explain to me what 
was said, without appearing to act as interpreter. I was desirous 
of knowing whether or not I had been mistaken in the reply I 
made to the other. He asked whether it seemed good to me to 
adopt him as my son, so that when he returned from the chase, 
and should without design lay his game at my feet, I should not 
ask him, as the other French do, " for what are you hungry ?" 
(that is to say, what do you wish me to give you for this ?) but 
that I should make him sit down, and should give him something 
to eat as I would to my son, and that when he returned another 
time to see me, I should say to him, " sit down my son, but hold, 
there is some vermilion and powder." You see from this the 
nature of these savages ; they wish to appear generous in giving 
without design^ but at the same time do not wish to lose anything. 
I answered this speech, ignaton the^ " that is very good, I approve 



MISSION TO THE ARKANSAS. 261 

of it, I agree to that ;" after which he passed his hand over me 
as the other had done. 

Let me give you another incident which shows the extent of 
their generosity. The day before yesterday I received the visit 
of a chief, and gave him something to smoke, to omit which would 
show that I was wanting in politeness. A moment afterwards 
he went out to get the skin of a deer matachee which he had left 
in the entry of the house where I am, and placed it on my shoul- 
ders. Such is the custom when they make presents of this kind. 
I begged th6 Frenchman to ask him, without its appearing to 
come from me, what he wished me to give him 1 "I give it with- 
out design,^^ said he ] " it is the way in which I would trade with 
my father!" (To trade signifies here to give.) Nevertheless, 
some moments afterwards, he said to the same Frenchman, that 
his wife was out of salt, and his son of powder. His object was 
that the Frenchman should tell me of it. The Indian never gives 
anything for nothing, and it is necessary for their sake to observe 
the same rule, or we should expose ourselves to their contempt. 
A skin matachee is a skin painted by the Indians with different 
colors, and on which they paint calumets, birds, and animals. 
Those of the deer serve as cloths for the table, and those of the 
buffalo as coverings for the bed. 

The French establishment among the Arkansas would have 
been considerable, if M. Laws had remained in credit four or five 
years longer. The grant which he had procured was at this 
place on a prairie boundless to the view, the beginning of which 
is about two gun-shots from the house in which I now am. The 
India Company had granted him sixteen leagues square, or a 
tract of about a hundred leagues round. His design was to build 
a city there, to establish manufactures, to have numbers of vas- 
sals and troops, in short to found there a duchy. He only com- 
menced this work a year before his fall. The property which he 
had already sent into the country amounted to more than fifteen 



262 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

hundred thousand livres. He had among other things materials 
from which to arm and equip superbly two hundred cavalry sol- 
diers. He had also purchased three hundred negroes. The 
French who were engaged for this grant^ were people of all kinds 
of trades. The directors and the subalterns, with a hundred 
men, ascended the river in five boats, to go there and begin the 
establishment. They had first to provide provisions, to be in a 
state to receive those whom they had left at the mouth of the 
river. The Chaplain died on the way, and was buried on one 
of the shallows in the Mississippi. Twelve thousand G-ermans 
also were engaged for this grant. This was not a bad beginning 
for the first year, but M. Laws fell into disgrace. Of the three 
or four thousand Germans who had already left their country, 
the greater part died at the East, almost all at landing in the 
country, while the others were countermanded. The India Com- 
pany took back their grant, and abandoned it a short time after- 
wards, so that every thing thus went to ruin. About thirty 
French are still here, being induced to remain by the salubrity 
of the climate and the excellence of the soil, for they have not 
received any aid. My arrival afforded them great pleasure, since 
it induced them to believe that the India Company had no idea 
of abandoning this region, as had been supposed, or they would 
not have sent thither a missionary. I cannot express to you the 
joy therefore with which these good people received me. I found 
them in great want of all things, and this misery, together with 
the excessive and even extraordinary heats which had been expe- 
rienced that year, had made them all ill in bed. I did what I 
could for their relief, and the few remedies which I brought with 
me, came most seasonably. The occupation however which the 
sick gave me, did not at all prevent my making, on each Sunday 
and Festival day, one exhortation during Mass, and also giving 
instruction after Vespers. I liave had the consolation of seeing 
that the greater part have profited by it to come forward to the 



MISSION TO THE ARKANSi\S. 263 

Sacraments, and that the others are disposed .to do so. We are 
indeed well recompensed for the greatest toils, if they are followed 
by the conversion of even a single sinner. 

The privations of the sea and those of the Mississippi, which 
are indeed much more severe, the change of climate, of food, of 
every thing, ^ave produced no alteration in my health. I am 
the only one of the French who has escaped sickness since we 
have been in the country, although they commiserated me for 
the feebleness of my health when I left France. But Father 
Souel, who on the excellence of his constitution received no such 
sympathy, has already been three times ill since he has been in 
the country. Pray God that He will give me grace to consecrate 
what strength I have to the conversion of these Indians. As far 
as human reason can enable us to judge, there is little to be ac- 
complished among them, at least in the beginning. All my 
hope is in the grace of God. I have the honor to be with re- 
spect, &c. 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 



1729. 



LETTER X. 



PROCURATOR OF THE MISSIONS IN NORTH AMERICA. 



At New Orleans, the 12th of July, 1730. 

MY REVEREND FATHER, 

The Peace of our Lord be with you : 

You cannot be ignorant of the sad event which has desolated 
that part of the French Colony established at Natchez^ on the 
right bank of the Mississippi river, at the distance of a hundred 
and twenty leagues from its mouth. Two of our missionaries 
who were engaged in the conversion of the Indians, have been 
included in the almost general massacre which this barbarous 
nation made of the French, at a time too when they had not the 
least reason to suspect their perfidy. A loss so great as this in- 
fant mission has sustained, will continue for a long time to excite 
our deepest regrets. 

As you could only have learned in a confused manner the 
events of this dark treachery, I will endeavor to relate to you all 
the circumstances ; but first I think that it would be best to 
make you acquainted with the character of these perfidious 
savages, called the Natchez. When I have described to you the 
religion, the manners, and the customs of these barbarians, I will 
proceed to the history of the tragical event which I design to 
narrate, and will in detail recount all those circumstances, of 
which I am certain you have hitherto had no knowledge. 

This nation of Indians inhabits one of the most beautiful and 



26S JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

fertile countries in the world, and is tlie only one on this conti- 
nent which appears to have any regular worship. Their religion 
in certain points is very similar to that of the ancient Romans. 
They have a temple filled with idols, which are different figures 
of men and of animals, and for which they have the most pro- 
found veneration. Their temple in shape resembles an earthen 
oven, a hundred feet in circumference. They enter it by a little 
door about four feet high, and not more than three in breadth. 
No window is to be seen there. The arched roof of the edifice 
is covered with three rows of mats, placed one upon the other, to 
prevent the rain from injuring the masonry. Above on the out- 
side are three figures of eagles made of wood, and painted red, 
yellow, and white. Before the door is a kind of shed with fold- 
ing doors, where the Guardian of the Temple is lodged ; all 
around it runs a circle of palisades, on which are seen exposed 
the skulls of all the heads which their warriors had brought back 
from the battles in which they had been engaged with the ene- 
mies of their nation. 

In the interior of the Temple are some shelves arranged at a 
certain distance from each other, on which are placed cane bas- 
kets of an oval shape, and in these are enclosed the bones of their 
ancient chiefs, while by their side are those of their victims whom 
they had caused to be strangled, to fbllow their masters into the 
other world. Another separate shelf supports many flat baskets 
very gorgeously painted, in which they preserve their idols. 
These are figures of men and women made of stone or baked 
clay, the heads and the tails of extraordinary serpents, some 
stuffed owls, some pieces of crystal, and some jaw bones of large 
fish. In the year 1699, they had there a bottle and the foot of a 
glass, which they guarded as very precious. 

In this temjDle they take care to keep up a perpetual fire, and 
they are very particular to prevent its ever blazing ; they do not 
use anything for it but dry wood of the walnut or oak. The old 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 269 

meu are obliged to carry, each one in liis turn, a large log of wood 
into the enclosure of the palisade. The number of the Guardi- 
ans of the Temple is fixed, and they serve by the quarter. He 
who is on duty is placed like a sentinel under the shed, from 
whence he examines whether the fire is not in danger of going 
out. He feeds it with two or three large logs, which do not burn 
except at the extremity, and which they never place one on the 
other, for fear of their getting into a blaze. 

Of the women, the sisters of the great Chief alone have liberty 
to enter within the Temple. The entrance is forbidden to all the 
others, as well as to the common people, even when they carry 
something there to feast to the memory of their relations, whose 
bones repose in the Temple. They give the dishes to the 
Gruardian, who carries them to the side of the basket in which are 
the bones of the dead ; this ceremony lasts only during one moon. 
The dishes are afterwards placed on the palisades which surround 
the Temple, and are abandoned to the fallow-deer. 

The sun is the principal object of veneration to these people ; 
as they cannot conceive of anything which can be above this 
heavenly body, nothing else appears to them more worthy of their 
homage. It is for the same reason that the great Chief of this 
nation, who knows nothing on the earth more dignified than him- 
self, takes the title of Brother of the Sun, and the credulity of 
the people maintains him in the despotic authority which he 
claims. To enable them better to converse together, they raise a 
mound of artificial soil, on which they build his cabin, which is of 
the same construction as the temple. The door fronts the East, 
and every morning the great Chief honors by his presence the 
rising of his elder brother, and salutes him with many bowlings as 
soon as he appears above the horizon. Then he gives orders that 
they shall light hisjcalumet;* he makes him an oifcring of the first 
threQ pufis which he draws ; afterwards raising his hands above 
* The calumet is a large pipe which these Indians use. 



270 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

his head, and turning from the East to the West, he shows him 
the direction which he must take in his course. 

There are in this cabin a number of beds on the left hand at 
entering : but on the right is only the bed of the great Chief, 
ornamented with different painted figures. This bed consists of 
nothing but a mattress of canes and reeds, very hard, with a 
square log of wood, which serves for a pillow. In the middle of 
the cabin is seen a small stone, and no one should approach the 
bed until he has made the circuit of this stone. Those who enter 
salute by a howl, and advance even to the bottom of the cabin, 
without looking at the right side, where is the Chief Then they 
give a new salute by raising their arms above the head, and howl- 
ing three times. If it be any one whom the Chief holds in con- 
sideration, he answers by a slight sigh and makes a sign to him to 
be seated. He thanks him for his politeness by a new howl. At 
every question which the Chief puts to him, he howls once before 
he answers, and when he takes his leave, he prolongs a single 
howl until he is out of his presence. 

When the great Chief dies, they demolish his cabin, and then 
raise a new mound, on which they build the cabin of him who is 
to replace him in this dignity, for he never lodges in that of his 
predecessor. The old men prescribe the laws for the rest of the 
people, and one of their principles is, to have a sovereign respect 
for the great Chief, as being the Brother of the Sun and the 
Master of the Temple. They "believe in the immortality of the 
soul, and when they leave this world they go, they say, to live in 
another, there to be recompensed or punished. The rewards to 
which they look forward, consist principally in feasting, and their 
chastisement in the privation of every pleasure. Thus they think 
that those who have been the faithful observers of their laws will 
be conducted into a region of pleasures, where all kinds of exqui- 
site viands will be furnished them in abundance, that their 
delightful and tranquil days will flow on in the midst of festivals, 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 271 

dances, and women ; in short, that they will revel in all imagina- 
ble pleasures. On the conti-ary, the violators of their laws will 
be cast upon lands unfruitful and entirely covered with water, 
where they will not have any kind of corn, but will be exposed 
entirely naked to the sharp bites of the musquitoes, that all 
nations will make war upon them, that they will never eat meat, 
and have no nourishment but the flesh of crocodiles, spoiled fish, 
and shell-fish. 

These people blindly obey the least wish of their great Chief. 
Thc}" look upon him as absolute master, not only of their pro- 
perty but also of their lives, and not one of them would dare to 
refuse him his head, if he should demand it ; for whatever labors 
he commands them to execute, they are forbidden to exact any 
wages. The French, who are often in need of hunters or of 
rowers for their long voyages, never apply to any one but the 
great Chief He furnishes all the men they wish, and receives 
payment, without giving any part to those unfortunate individuals, 
who are not permitted even to complain. One of the principal 
articles of their religion, and particularly for the servants of the 
great Chief, is that of honoring his funeral rites by dying with 
him, that they may go and serve him in the other world. In 
their blindness they willingly submit to this law, in the foolish 
belief, that in the train of their Chief they will go to enjoy the 
greatest happiness. 

To give an idea of this bloody ceremony, it is necessary to 
know that as soon as an heir presumptive has been born to the 
great Chief, each family that has an infant at the breast is obliged 
to pay him homage. From all these infants they choose a cer- 
tain number whom they destine for the service of the young 
prince, and as soon as they are of a competent age, they furnish 
them with employments suited to their talents. Some pas^ their 
lives in hunting, or in fishing, to furnish supplies for the table ; 
others are employed in agriculture, while others serve to fill up 



272 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

his retinue. If he happen to die, all these servants sacrifice 
themselves with joy to follow their dear master. They first put 
on all their finery, and repair to the place opposite to the temple, 
where all the people are assemhled. After having danced and 
sung a sufficiently long time, they pass around their neck a cord 
of bufi'alo hair with a running knot, and immediately the minis- 
ters appointed for executions of this kind, come forward to 
strangle them, recommending them to go and rejoin their master, 
and to render to him in the other world services even more hon- 
orable than those which had occupied them in this. 

The principal servants of the great Chief having been strangled 
in this way, they strip the flesh off their bones, particularly those 
of their arms and thighs, and leave them to dry for two months 
in a kind of tomb, after which they take them out to be shut up 
in the baskets, which are placed in the temple by the side of the 
bones of their master. As for the other servants, their relatives 
carry them home with them, and bury them with their arms and 
clothes. 

The same ceremony is observed in like manner on the death 
of the brothers and sisters of the great Chief The women are 
always strangled to follow the latter, except they have infants at 
the breast, in which case they continue to live, for the purpose of 
nourishing them. And we often see many who endeavor to find 
nurses, or who themselves strangle their infants, so that they 
shall not lose the right of sacrificing themselves in the public 
place, according to the ordinary ceremonies, and as the law 
presci-ibes. 

This government is hereditary ; it is not, however, the son of 
the reigning chief that succeeds his father, but the son of his 
sister, or the first princess of the blood. This policy is founded 
on the knowledge they have of the licentiousness of their females. 
They are not sure, they say, that the children of the chief's wife 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 273 

may be of the blood royal, wbereas the son of the sister of the 
great Chief must be, at least on the side of the mother. 

The princesses of the blood never espouse any but men of ob- 
scure family, and they have but one husband, but they have the 
right of dismissing him whenever it pleases them, and of choosing 
another among those, of the nation, provided he has not made 
any other alliance among them. If the husband has been guilty 
of infidelity, the princess may have his head cut oj0f in an instant ; 
but she is not herself subject to the same law, for she may have 
as many lovers as she pleases, without the husband having any 
power to complain. In the presence of his wife he acts with the 
most profound respect, never eats with her, and salutes her with 
howls, as is done by her servants. The only satisfaction he has 
is, that he is freed from the necessity of laboring, and has entire 
authority over those who serve the princess. 

In former times the nation of the Natchez was very large. It 
counted sixty villages and eight hundred suns or princes ; now 
it is reduced to six little villages and eleven suns. In each of 
these villages there is a temple where the fire is always kept 
burning as in that of the great Chief, whom all the other chiefs 
obey. 

The great Chief nominates to the most important offices of the 
state ; such are the two war chiefs, the two masters of ceremony 
for the worship of the temple, the two officers who preside over 
the other ceremonies which are observed when foreigners come 
to treat of peace, another who has the inspection of the public 
works, four others charged wflh the arrangement of the festivals 
with which they publicly entertain the nation, and such strangers 
as come to visit them. All these ministers who execute the will 
of the great chief are treated with the same respect and obedi- 
ence as if he personally gave the orders. 

Each year the people assemble to plant one vast field with In- 
dian corn, beans, pumpkins, and melons, and then again they col- 

13* 



274 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

lect in the same way to gather the harvest. A large cabin situ- 
ated on a beautiful prairie is set apart to hold the fruits of this 
harvest. Once in the summer, towards the end of July, the 
people gather by order of the great Chief, to be present at a 
grand feast which he gives them. This festival lasts for three 
days and three nights, and each one contributes what he can to 
furnish it ; some bring game, others fish, &c. They have almost 
constant dances, while the great Chief and his sister are in an 
elevated lodge covered with boughs, from whence they can see 
the joy of their subjects. The princes, the princesses, and those 
who by their office are of distinguished rank, are arranged very 
near the Chief, to whom they show their respect and submission 
by an infinite variety of ceremonies. 

The great Chief and his sister make their entrance in the 
place of the assembly on a litter borne by eight of their greatest 
men : the chief holds in his hand a great sceptre ornamented 
with painted plumes, and all the people dance and sing about 
him in testimony of the public joy. The last day of this feast 
he causes all his subjects to approach, and makes them a long 
harangue, in which he exhorts them to fulfil all their duties to 
religion ; he recommends them above, all things to have a great 
veneration for the spirits which reside in the temple, and care- 
fully to instruct their children. If any one has distinguished 
himself by some act of zeal, he is then publicly praised. Such 
a case happened in the year 1702. The temple having been 
struck with lightning and reduced to ashes, seven or eight wo- 
men cast their infants into the midst of the flames to appease 
the wrath of Heaven. The chief called these heroines, and gave 
them great praises for the courage with which they had made the 
sacrifice of that which they held most dear ; he finished his pane- 
gyric by exhorting the other women to imitate so beautiful an 
example in similar circumstances. 

The fathers of families do not fail to carry to the temple the 



1 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 275 

first of their fruits, their corn and vegetables. It is the same 
even with presents which are made to this nation ; they are im- 
mediately offered at the gate of the temple, when the Guardian, 
after having displayed and presented them to the spirits, carries 
them to the house of the great Chief, who makes a distribution of 
them as he judges best, without any person testifying the least 
discontent. 

They never plant their fields without having first presented 
the seed in the temple with the accustomed ceremonies. As 
soon as these people approach the temple, they raise their arms 
by way of respect, and utter three howls, after which they place 
their hands on the earth, and raise themselves again three times 
with as many reiterated howls. When any one has merely to 
pass before the temple, he only pauses to salute it by his down- 
cast eyes and raised arms. If a father or mother see their son 
fail in the performance^of this ceremony, they will punish him 
immediately with repeated blows of a stick. 

Such are the ceremonies of the Natchez Indians with regard 
to their religion. Those of marriage are very simple. When a 
young man thinks of marrying, he has only to address himself 
to the father of the girl, or if she have none, to her eldest 
brother, and they agree on the price, which he pays in skins or 
merchandise. When a girl has even lived a licentious life, they 
make no difficulty in receiving her, if there is the least idea that 
she will change her conduct when she is married. Neither do 
they trouble themselves as to what family she belongs, provided 
that she pleases them. As to the relatives of the girl, their only 
care is to inform themselves whether he who asks her is an able 
hunter, a good warrior, and an excellent workman. These 
qualities diminish the price which they have a right to ask on 
the marriage. 

When the parties have agreed, the future husband goes to 
the chase with his friends, and when he has sufl&cient either of 



276 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

game or of fish, to feast the two families who have contracted the 
alliance, they assemble at the house of the parents of the girl. 
They particularly serve the new married pair, who eat from the 
same dish. The repast being ended, the bridegroom smokes the 
calumet towards the parents of his wife, and then towards his 
own parents, after which all the guests retire. The new married 
people remain together until the next day, and then the husband 
conducts his wife to the residence of her father-in-law, where 
they live until the family has built for him a cabin of his own. 
While they are constructing it, he passes the whole day in the 
chase to furnish food, which he gives to those who are employed 
in this work. 

The laws permit the Natchez to have as many wives as they 
choose, nevertheless the common people generally have but one 
or two. This however is not the case with the chiefs, their number 
is greater, because having the right to oblige the people to culti- 
vate their fields, without giving them any wages, the number of 
their wives is no expense to them. 

The marriage of the chiefs is made with less ceremony. They 
content themselves with sending to fetch the father of the girl 
whom they wish to espouse, and they declare to him that they 
will give her the rank of their wives. They do not fail however, 
as soon as the marriage is consummated, to make a present to the 
father and mother. Although they have many wives, they keep 
but one or two in their own cabins : the rest remain at the houses 
of their parents, where they go to see them when they wish. 

At certain periods of the moon these Indians never live with 
their wives. Jealousy has so little place in their hearts, that 
many find no difficulty in lending their wives to their friends. 
This indiiference in the conjugal union results from the liberty 
they have of changing when it seems good to them, provided 
however that their wives have never borne children to them, for 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 277 

if any have been born of tlie marriage, nothing but death can 
separate them. 

When this nation sends out a detachment for war, the chief of 
the party erects two kinds of poles painted red from the top to 
the bottom, ornamented with red plumes, and arrows and toma- 
hawks, also painted red. These poles are pointed to the side to 
which they are to carry the war. Those who wish to join the 
party, after having ornamented and daubed themselves with dif- 
ferent colors, come to harangue the war chief This harangue, 
which one makes after the other, and which lasts nearly half an 
hour, consists of a thousand protestations of service, by which 
they assure him that they ask nothing more than to die with 
him, that they are charmed to learn of so able a warrior the art 
of taking scalps, and that they fear neither the hunger nor fa- 
tigues to which they are going to be exposed. 

When a sufficient number of braves have presented themselves 
to the war chief, he causes to be made at his house a beverage 
which they call the War Medicine. This is an emetic, which 
they make from a root they boil in large kettles full of water. 
The warriors, sometimes to the number of three hundred, having 
seated themselves about the kettle, they serve each one with two 
pots of it. The ceremony is to swallow them with a single 
effort, and then to throw them up immediately by the mouth, 
with efforts so violent that they can be heard at a great dis- 
tance. 

After this ceremony, the war chief appoints the day of depar- 
ture, that each one may prepare provisions necessary for the cam- 
paign. During this time, the braves repair evening and morning 
to the place before the Temple, where after having danced and 
related in detail the brilliant actions in which their bravery was 
conspicuous, they chant their death songs. 

To see the extreme joy they show at their departure, we should 
say that they had already signalized their valor by some great 



278 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

victory, but a very small thing alone is necessary to disconcert 
their plans. They are so superstitious -with respect to dreams, that 
a single one of evil augury can arrest the execution of their enter- 
prise, and oblige them to return when they are on the march. 
We see parties, which after having gone through with all the cer- 
emonies I have mentioned, immediately break off from their ex- 
pedition, because they have heard a dog bark in an extraordi- 
nary manner : in an instant their ardor for glory is changed into 
a perfect panic. 

When on the war-path, they march in single file : four or five 
men who are the best walkers lead the way, and keep in advance 
of the army a quarter of a league, to observe every thing, and 
give immediate notice. They encamp every evening an hour be- 
fore sunset, and lie down about a large fire, each one with his 
arms near him. Before they encamp, they take the precaution 
to send out twenty warriors to the distance of a half league 
around the camp, for the purpose of avoiding all surprise. They 
never post sentinels during the night, but as soon as they have 
supped, they extinguish all the fires. At night the war chief 
exhorts them not to give themselves up to a profound sleep, 
and to keep their arms always in a state of readiness. He ap- 
points a place where they shall rally in case they are attacked 
during the night and put to flight. 

As the war Chiefs always carry with them their idols, or what 
they call their Spirits, well secured in some skins, at night they 
suspend them from a small pole painted red, which they erect in 
a slanting position, so that it may be bent on the side towards the 
enemy. The warriors, before they go to sleep, with tomahawk in 
hand, pass one after the other in a dance before these pretended 
Spirits, at the same time uttering the fiercest threats towards the 
side on which are their enemies. 

When the war party is considerable, as it enters the enemy's 
country, they march in five or six columns. They have many 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 279 

spies, who go out on scouting expeditions. If they perceive that 
their march is known, they ordinarily adopt the resolution of 
retracing their steps, leaving a small troop of from ten to twenty 
men who detach themselves, and endeavor to surprise some hun- 
ters at a distance from the villages ; on their return they chant 
their songs with reference to the scalps they have taken. If they 
have taken any prisoners, they force them to sing and dance for 
some days before the temple, after which they present them to 
the relatives of those who had been killed. These relatives are 
dissolved in tears during this ceremony, and drying their eyes 
with the scalps which have been taken, they contribute among 
themselves to recompense the warriors who have taken these cap- 
tives, whose lot is to be burned. 

The Natchez, like all the other nations of Lousiana, distinguish 
by particular names those who have killed a greater or less num- 
ber of the enemy. The old war chiefs distribute these names 
according to the merit of the warriors. To deserve the title of a 
great man-slayer, it is necessary to have taken ten slaves or to 
have carried off twenty scalps. When a person understands their 
language, the name itself of a warrior enables him to learn all his 
exploits. Those who, for the first time, have taken a scalp or 
made a captive, do not sleep at their return with their wives, and 
do not eat any meat ; they ought not to partake of anything but 
fish and thickened milk. This abstinence lasts for six months. 
If they fail to observe it, they imagine that the soul of him whom 
they have killed will cause them to die through sorcery, that they 
will never again obtain any advantage over their enemies, and 
that the slightest wounds they may receive will prove fatal. 

They take extreme care that the great Chief shall not in any 
way expose his life when he goes to war. If, carried away by his 
valor, he should happen to be killed, the Chiefs of the party and 
the other principal warriors would be put to death on their 
return ; but executions of this kind are almost without example, 



280 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

on account of tlie precautions they take to preserve him from this 
evil. 

This nation, like the others, has its medicine-men ; these are 
generally old men, who without study or any science, undertake 
to cure all complaints. They do not attempt this by simples, or 
by drugs ; all their art consists in different juggleries ; that is to 
say, that they dance and sing night and day about the sick man, 
and smoke without ceasing, swallowing the smoke of the tobacco. 
These jugglers eat scarcely anything during all the time that 
they are engaged in the cure of the sick, but their chants and 
their dances are accompanied by contortions so violent, that 
although they are entirely naked and should naturally suffer from 
cold, yet they are always foaming at the mouth. They have a 
little basket in which they keep what they call their Spirits, that 
is to say, small roots of different kinds, heads of owls, small par- 
cels of the hair of fallow deer, some teeth of animals, some small 
stones or pebbles, and other similar trifles. 

It appears that to restore health t^ the sick, they invoke with- 
out ceasing that which they have in their basket. Some of them 
have there a certain root, which by its smell can put serpents to 
sleep and render them senseless. After having rubbed their 
hands and body with .this root, they take hold of these reptiles 
without fearing their bite, which is mortal. Sometimes they cut, 
with a flint, the part afflicted with the malady, and then suck out 
all the blood they can draw from it, and in returning it imme- 
diately into a dish, they at the same time spit out a little piece of 
wood, or straw, or leather, which they have concealed under the 
tongue. Drawing to it the attention of the relatives of the sick 
man, " There," say they, " is the cause of the sickness." These 
medicine-men are always paid in advance. If the sick man 
recovers, their gain is very considerable, but if he should ^ie, 
they are sure to have their heads cut off by the relatives or 
friends of the deceased. This never fails to be done, and even 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 281 

the relatives of the medicine-mcu fiud nothing at all of which to 
complain, and do not testify any concern. 

There is the same rule with some other jugglers, who under- 
take to procure rain or fair weather. These are commonly indo- 
lent, old men, who wishing to avoid the labor which is required 
in hunting, fishing, and the cultivation of the fields, exercise this 
dangerous trade to gain a support for their families. Towards 
spring, the nation taxes itself to purchase from these jugglers 
favorable weather for the fruits of the earth. If the harvest 
prove abundant, they gain a handsome reward, but if it is unfor- 
tunate, they take it from them, and cut off their heads. Thus 
those who engage in this profession risk everything to gain every- 
thing. In other respects their life is very idle ; they have no 
other inconvenience than that of fasting and dancing with a pipe 
in their mouth, full of water and pierced like a watering-pot, 
which they blow into the air on the side where the clouds are 
thickest. In on.e hand they hold the sicicouel, which is a kind of 
rattle, and in the other their spirits, which they stretch out to- 
wards the clouds, uttering frightful cries to invite them to burst 
upon their fields. 

If it is pleasant weather for which they ask, they do not use 
these pipes, but they mount on the roof of their cabins, and with 
their arms make signs to the clouds, blowing with all their 
strength, that it shall not stop over their lands, but pass beyond. 
When the clouds are dissipated according to their wish, they 
dance and sing about their spirits, which they place reverently on 
a kind of pillow ; they redouble their fasts, and when the cloud 
has passed, they swallow the smoke of tobacco, and hold up their 
pipes to the sky. 

Although they never show any favor to these charlatans, when 
they do not obtain what they ask, yet the profit thoy receive is 
so great, when by chance they succeed, that we see a great num- 
ber of these savages who do not at all fear to run the risks. It is 



282 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

to be observed, tbat be who undertakes to furnish rain, never en- 
gages to procure pleasant weather. There is another kind of 
charlatans to whom this privilege belongs, and when you ask 
them the reason, they answer boldly that their spirits can give 
but the one or the other. 

When one of these Indians dies, his relatives come to mourn 
his death during an entire day, then they array him in his most 
beautiful dresses, they paint his face and his hair, and ornament 
him with plumes, after which they carry him to the grave pre- 
pared for him, placing by his side his arms, a kettle, and some 
provisions. For the space of a month, his relatives come at the 
dawn of day and at the beginning of the night, to weep for half 
an hour at his grave. Each one names his degree of relationship. 
If he were the father of a family, the wife cries, " My dear hus- 
band, ah ! how I regret you !" The children cry, " My dear 
father !" The others, " My uncle ! my cousin !" &c. The near- 
est relations continue this ceremony for three months; they cut 
off their hair in sign of grief, they abstain from painting the body, 
and are never found at any assembly for festivity. 

When any foreign nation comes to treat of peace with the 
Natchez Indians, they send their couriers to give notice of the 
day and hour when they shall make their entrance. The great 
Chief orders the masters of ceremony to prepare all things for 
this grand occasion. They begin by naming those who during 
each day should support the strangers, for the expence never falls 
upon the chief, but always on his subjects. Then they clear the 
roads, they sweep the cabins, they arrange the seats in a large 
hall which is on the mound of the great Chief by the side of his 
cabin. His throne, which is on an elevation, is painted and or- 
namented, and the bottom is furnished with beautiful mats. 

On the day that the ambassadors are to make their entrance, 
all the nation assembles. The masters of ceremony place the 
princes, the chiefs of the villages, and the old chiefs of quality 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 283 

near the great Chief, on particular seats. When the ambassadors 
arrive, and are within five hundred steps of the great Chief, they 
stop and chant the song of peace. The ambassage ordinarily 
consists of thirty men and six females. Six of the best made, 
and who have the finest voices, march in front ; they are followed 
by the others who chant in like manner, regulating the cadence 
with the sicicouet. The six females are the last. 

When the chief has directed them to approach, they advance ; 
those who have the calumets, chant and dance with much agility, 
now turning around each other, and now presenting themselves 
in front, but always with violent movements and extraordinary 
contortions. When they have entered the circle, they dance 
about the chair on which the chief is seated, they rub him with 
their calumets from his feet even to his head, and after that go 
back to find those who belong to their suite. Then they fill one 
of their calumets with tobacco, and holding the fire in one hand, 
they advance altogether before the chief and smoke it : they di- 
rect the first puff of smoke towards the heavens, the second to- 
wards the earth, and the others around the horizon, after which 
they without ceremony present the pipe to the princes and to the 
other chiefs. 

This ceremony having been finished, the ambassadors, as a 
token of alliance, rub their hands on the stomach of the chief, 
and rub themselves over the whole body ; they then place 
their calumets before the chief on small forks, while the per- 
son among the ambassadors who is particularly charged with 
the orders of his nation, delivers an harangue which lasts for 
an entire hour. When he has finished, they make a sign to the 
strangers to be seated on the benches ranged near the great Chief, 
who responds to them by a discourse of equal length. Then 
the master of ceremonies lights the great calumet of peace, and 
makes the strangers smoke, who swallow the tobacco smoke. 
The great Chief enquires of them, whether they arrived safe? 



2S4 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

that is, whether they are well, and those who are around them go 
one after the other to discharge the same office of politeness. 
After which they conduct them to the cabin which has been 
prepared for them, and. where they are feasted. 

That same evening at sunset, the ambassadors, with the calu- 
met in their hands, go with singing to find the great Chief, and 
having raised him on their shoulders, they transport him to the 
quarter in which their cabin is situated. They spread on the 
ground a large skin, on which they cause him to sit down. One 
of them places himself behind him, and putting his hands on the 
Chief's shoulders, he agitates all his body, while the others, seated 
in a circle on the ground, chant the history of their distinguished 
deeds. After this ceremony, which is repeated night and morn- 
ing for four days, the great Chief returns to his cabin. When 
he pays his last visit to the ambassadors, these place a stake at 
his feet, about which they seat themselves : the braves of the 
nation having arrayed themselves in all their finery, dance 
around, striking the stake, and in turn recounting their great ex- 
ploits in war, then follows the presentation of presents to the 
ambassadors, which consist of kettles, hatchets, guns, powder, 
balls, &c. 

The day following this last ceremony, it is permitted to the 
ambassadors to walk through the whole village, which before 
they were not able to do. Then every evening they give thorn 
spectacles, that is to say, the men and women in their most beau- 
tiful dresses assemble at the public place, and dance until the 
night is far advanced. When they are ready to return home, 
the masters of the ceremonies furnish them with the provisions 
necessary for the journey. 

After having thus given you a slight idea of the character and 
customs of the Natchez Indians, I proceed, my Keverend Father, 
as I have promised you, to enter on a detail of their perfidy and 
treason. It was on the second of December of the year 1729, 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 285 

that we learned they had surprised the French, and had mas- 
sacred almost all of them. This sad news was first brought to us 
hy one of the planters, who had escaped their fury. It was con- 
firmed to us on the following day by other French fugitives, and 
finally, some French women whom they had made slaves, and were 
forced afterwards to restore, brought us all the particulars. 

At the first rumour of an event so sad, the alarm and conster- 
nation was general in New Orleans. Although the massacre 
had taken place more than a hundred leagues from here, you 
would have supposed that it had happened under our own eyes ; 
each one was mourning the loss of a relative, a friend, or some 
property ; all were alarmed for their own lives, for there was rea- 
son to fear that the conspiracy of the Indians had been general. 

This unlooked for massacre began on Monday, the 28th of 
October, about nine o'clock in the morning. Some cause of dis- 
satisfaction which the Natchez thought they had with the Com- 
mander,* and the arrival of a number of richly loaded boats for 

* [The " cause of dissatisfaction wliicli the Natchez thought they had with 
the Commander" was of some importance, rather more so than Father le 
Petit gives us to understand. We find it thus rehited in a history of the 
State : — '• M. du Chopart, governor of Fort Rosalie, was a man of an over- 
bearing disposition and vindictive temper, who had made himself odious to 
the Indians by different acts of injustice. Having determined to build a 
town, he selected, with wanton cruelty, the site of a village of the Natchez, 
then occupied by a numerous population of the unoffending people. Accord- 
ingly he directed the chiefs to remove the inhabitants, and plant them in 
another place. The Natchez, perceiving that their ruin was resolved on, 
endeavored to gain time, while they effected a union among themselves, and 
an alliance with the other tribes. By the promise of a tribute for each hut, 
they succeeded in inducing the Commander to postpone the execution of his 

resolve until after the harvest A general massacre ensued. M. de 

Chopart fell by the hands of one of the meanest of the Indians, the Chiefs 
disdaining to stain their hands with his blood." 

Bancroft says, — "The Commander Chopart, swayed by a brutal avarice, 



286 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

the garrison and the colonists, determined them to hasten their 
enterprise, and to strike their blow sooner than they had agreed 
with the other confederate tribes. And it was thus that they 
carried their plan into execution. First they divided themselves, 
and sent into the fort, into the village, and into the two grants, as 
many Indians as there were French in each of these places ; then 
they feigned that they were going out for a grand hunt, and 
undertook to trade with the French for guns, powder, and ball, 
offering to pay them as much, and even more than was customary, 
and in truth, as there was no reason to suspect their fidelity, they 
made at that time an exchange of their poultry and corn, for 
some arms and ammunition which they used advantageously 
against us. It is true that some expressed their distrust, but 
this was thought to have so little foundation, that they ^vere 
treated as cowards who were frightened at their own shadows. 
They had been on their guard against the Tchadas^ but as for 
the JYatchez, they had never distrusted them, and they were so 
persuaded of their good faith, that it increased their hardihood. 
Having thus posted themselves in different houses, provided with 
the arms obtained from us, they attacked at the same time each 
his man, and in less than two hours they massacred more than 
two hundred of the French. The best known are M. de Chepar, 
Commander of the post, M. du Codere, Commander among the 
Yazous, M. des Ursins, Messieurs de Kolly, father and son. 
Messieurs de Longrays, des Noyers, Bailly, &c. 

The Father du Poisson* had just performed the funeral rites 
of his associate, the Brother Crucy, who had died very suddenly 

demanded as a plantation the very site o" tlie principal village." {Hist. 
U. States, iii., p. 360.) And the Jesuit Father Vivier, in one of the succeed- 
ing letters in this volume, from " the Mission to the Illinois," says, when 
alluding to this massacre, " La tyrannie qtHun Commandant Frangois entreprit 
d'exercer sur eux, les poussa a bout."] 
* Author of the last two Letters. 



TPIE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 287 

of a sun-stroke : he was on his way to consult M. Perricrj and to 
adopt with him proper measures to enable the Akensas to de- 
scend to the banks of the Mississippi, for the accommodation of 
the voyagers. He arrived among the Natchez on the 26th. of 
November, that is, two days before the massacre. The next day, 
which was the first Sunday of Advent, he said Mass in the Par- 
ish, and preached in the absence of the Cure. He was to have 
retui-ned in the afternoon to his Mission among the Akensas, 
but he was detained by some sick persons, to whom it was neces- 
sary to administer the Sacraments. On Monday, he was about 
to say Mass, and to carry the Holy Sacrament to one of those 
sick persons whom he liad confessed the evening before, when 
the massacre began ; a gigantic chief six feet in height, seized 
him, and having thrown him to the ground, cut off his head with 
blows of a hatchet. The Father in falling only uttered these 
words, " Ah, my God ! ah, my God !" M. du Codere drew his 
sword to defend him, when he was himself killed by a musket 
ball from another Indian whom he did not perceive. 

These barbarians spared but two of the French, a tailor and a 
carpenter, who were able to serve their wants. They did not 
treat badly either the negro slaves, or the Indians who were wil- 
ling to give themselves up ; but they ripped up the belly of every 
pregnant woman, and killed almost all those who were nursing 
their children, because they were disturbed by their cries and 
tears. They did not kill the other women, but made them their 
slaves, and treated them with every indignity during the two or 
three months that they were their masters. The least miserable 
were those who knew how to sew, because they kept them busy 
in making shirts, dresses, &c. The others were employed in cut- 
ting and carrying wood for cooking, and in pounding the corn of 
which they make their sagamite. But two things, above all, ag- 
gravated the grief and hardness of their slavery ; it was, in the 
first place, to have for masters those same persons whom they had 



288 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

seen dipping their cruel hands in the blood of their husbands ; 
and, in the second place, to hear them continually saying, that 
the French had been treated in the same manner at all the other 
posts, and that the country was now entirely freed from them. 

During the massacre, the Sun, or the great Chief of the Nat- 
chez, was seated quietly under the tobacco shed of the company. 
His warriors brought to his feet the head of the Commander, 
about which they ranged those of the principal French of the 
post, leaving their bodies a prey to the dogs, the buzzards, and 
other carnivorous birds. 

When they were assured that not another Frenchman remained 
at the post, they applied themselves to plunder the houses, the 
magazine of the India Company, and all the boats which were 
still loaded by the bank of the river. They employed the ne- 
groes to transport the merchandise, which they divided among 
themselves, with the exception of the munitions of war, which 
they placed for security in a separate cabin. While the brandy 
lasted, of which they found a good supply, they passed their days 
and nights in drinking, singing, dancing, and insulting in the 
most barbarous manner, the dead bodies and the memory of the 
French. The Tchadas^ and the other Indians being engaged in 
the plot with them, they felt at their ease, and did not at all fear 
that they would draw on themselves the vengeance which was 
merited by their cruelty and perfidy. One night when they 
were plunged in drunkenness and sleep, Madame Des Noyers 
wished to make use of the negroes to revenge the death of her 
hus*band and the French, but she was betrayed by the person to 
whom she confided her design, and came very near being burned 
alive. 

Some of the French escaped the fury of the Indians by taking 
refuge in the woods, where they sufi"ered extremely from hunger 
and the effects of the weather. One of them, on arriving here, 
relieved us of a little disquietude we felt with regard to the post 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 2S9 

we occupy among tlie Yazous, wliicli is not more than forty or 
fifty leagues above the Natchez by water, and only from fifteen 
to twenty by land. Not being able longer to endure the extreme 
cold from which he sufi'ered, he left the woods under cover of 
night, to go and warm himself in the house of a Frenchman. 
When he was near it he heard the voices of Indians, and delibe- 
rated whether he should enter. He determined, however, to do 
so, preferring rather to perish by the hand of these barbarians, 
than to die of famine and cold. He was agreeably surprised when 
he found these savages eager to render him a service, to heap 
kindnesses upon him, to commiserate him, to console him, to fur- 
nish him with provisions, clothes, and a boat to make his escape 
to New Orleans. These were the Yazous, who were returning 
from chanting the calumet at Oumas. The Chief charged him 
to say to M. Perrier, that he had nothing to fear on the part of 
the Yazous, that " they would not lose their spirit," that is, that 
they would always remain attached to the French, and that he 
would be constantly on the watch with his tribe, to warn the 
French boats that were descending the river to be on their guard 
against the Natchez. 

We believed for a long time that the promises of this Chief 
were very sincere, and feared no more Indian perfidy for our post 
among the Yazous. But learn, my Reverend Father, the dispo- 
sition of these Indians, and how little one is able to trust their 
words, even when accompanied by the greatest demonstrations of 
friendship. Scarcely had they returned to their own village, 
when, loaded with the presents they received from the Natchez, 
they followed their example and imitated their treachery. Uniting 
with the Corroys^ they agreed together to exterminate the French. 
They began with Father Souel,* the missionary of both tribes, 
who was then living in the midst of them, in their own viUage. 

[♦ Father Souel was the companion of Father du Poisson, in his " Voyage 
up the Mississippi."] 

u 



290 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

The fidelity of the Ofogoulas, who were then absent at the chase, 
has never been shaken, and they now compose one village with 
the Tonikas. 

On the nth of December, Father Souel was returning in the 
evening from visiting the Chief, and while in a ravine, received 
many musket-balls, and fell dead on the spot. The Indians im- 
mediately rushed to his cabin to plunder it. His negro, who 
composed all his family and all his defence, armed himself with 
a wood-cutter's knife, to prevent the pillage, and even wounded 
one of the savages. This zealous action cost him his life, but, 
happily, less than a month before he had received baptism, and 
was living in a most Christian manner. 

These Indians, who even to that time had seemed sensible of 
the affection which their Missionary bore them, reproached them- 
selves for his death as soon as they were capable of reflection ; but 
returning again to their natural ferocity, they adopted the resolu- 
tion of putting a finishing stroke to their crime by the destruc- 
tion of the whole French post. " Since the Black Chief is dead," 
said they, " it is the same as if all the French were dead — let us 
not spare any." 

The next day they executed their barbarous plan. They 
repaired early in the morning to the fort, which was not more 
than a league distant, and whose occupants supposed, on their 
arrival, that the Indians wished to chant the calumet to the 
Chevalier des Roches, who commanded that post in the absence 
of M. de Codere. He had but seventeen men with him, who had 
no suspicion of any evil design on the part of the savages, and were 
therefore all massacred, not one escaping their fury. They, how- 
ever, granted their lives to four women and five children, whom 
they found there, and whom they made slaves. 

One of the Yazous having stripped the Missionary, clothed 
himself in his garments, and shortly after announced to the 
Natchez, that his nation had redeemed their pledge, and that 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 291 

the French settled among them were all massacred. In this city 
there was no longer any doubt on that point, as soon as they 
learned what came near being the fate of Father Doutreleau. 
This Missionary had availed himself of the time when the In- 
dians were engaged in their winter occupations, to come and see 
us, for the purpose of regulating some matters relating to his 
mission. He set out on the first day of this year, 1730, and not 
expecting to arrive at the residence of Father Souel, of whose 
fate he was ignorant, in time to say Mass, he determined to say it 
at the mouth of the little river of the Yazous, where his party 
had cabined. 

As he was preparing for this sacred office, he saw a boat full 
of Indians landing. They demanded from them, of what nation 
they were ? " Yazous, comrades of the French," they replied, 
making a thousand friendly demonstrations to the voyagers who 
accompanied the Missionary, and presenting them with provisions. 
While the Father was preparing his altar, a flock of 'bustards 
passed, and the voyagers fired at them the only two guns they 
had, without thinking of reloading, as Mass had already, com- 
menced. The Indians noted this, and placed themselves behind 
the voyagers, as if it was their intention to hear Mass, although 
they were not Christians. 

At the time the Father was saying the Kyrie Eleison, the In 
dians made their discharge. The Missionary perceiving himself 
wounded in his right arm, and seeing one of the voyagers killed 
at his feet, and the four others fled, threw himself on his knees to 
receive the last fatal blow, which he regarded as inevitable. In 
this posture he received two or three discharges. But although 
the Indians fired while almost touching him, yet they did not 
inflict on him any new wounds. Finding himself, then, as it were, 
miraculously escaped from so many mortal blows, he took to flight, 
having on still his priestly garments, and without any other de- 
fence than an entire confidence in God, whose particular protec- 



292 JESUITS m AMERICA. 



tion was given him. as the event proved. He threw himself into 
the water, and after advancing some steps, gained the boat in 
which two of the voyagers were making their escape. They had 
supposed him to be killed by some of the many balls which they 
had heard fired on him. In climbing up into the boat, and turn- 
ing his head to see whether any one of his pursuers was following 
him too closely, he received in the mouth a discharge of small 
shot, the greater part of which were flattened against his teeth, 
though some of them entered his gums, and remained there for a 
long time. I have myself seen two of them. Father Doutreleau, 
all wounded as he was, undertook the duty of steering the boat, 
while his two companions placed themselves at the oars. Unfor- 
tunately one of them, at setting out, had his thigh broken by a 
musket-ball, from the effects of which he has since remained a 
cripple. 

You may well imagine, my Reverend Father, that the mis- 
sionary a^id his companions had no thoughts of ascending the 
river. They descended the Mississippi with all the speed possi- 
ble, and at last lost sight of the boat of their enemies, who had 
pursued them for more than an hour, keeping up a continual fire 
upon them, and who boasted at the village that they had killed 
them. The two rowers were often tempted to give themselves 
up, but encouraged by the missionary, they in their turn made 
the enemy fear. An old gun which was not loaded, nor in a 
condition to be, which they pointed at them from time to time, 
made them often dodge in their boat, and at last obliged them to 
retire. 

As soon as they found themselves freed from their enemies, 
they dressed their wounds as well as they could, and for the pur- 
pose of aiding their fliglit from that fatal shore, they threw into 
the river everything they had in their boat, preserving only some 
pieces of raw bacon for their nourishment. 

It had been their intention to stop in passing at the Natchez 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 293 

but Laving seen that tlie bouses of the French were either de- 
molished or burned, they did not think it advisable to listen to 
the compliments of the Indians, who from the bank of the river 
invited them to land. They placed a wide distance between 
them as soon as possible, and thus shunned the balls which were 
ineffectually fired at them. It was then that they began to dis- 
trust all these Indian nations, and therefore resolved not to go 
near the land until they reached New Orleans, and supposing 
that the savages might have rendered themselves masters of it, 
to descend even to the Balize, where they hoped to find some 
French vessel provided to receive the wreck of the colony. 

In passing the Tonikus, they separated themselves as far as 
possible from the shore, but they were discovered, and a boat 
which had been dispatched to reconnoitre them, was not a long 
time in approaching. Their fear and distrust was renewed, and 
they did not decide to stop, until they perceived that the persofls 
in that boat spoke very good French, when they overcame their 
fears, and in the weak state they were, gladly availed themselves 
of the opportunity to land. There they found the little French 
army which had been formed, the officers compassionate and 
every way kind, a surgeon and refreshments. After recovering 
a little from the great dangers and miseries they had endured, 
they on the next day availed themselves of a boat which had been 
fitted out for New Orleans. 

I cannot express to you, my Reverend Father, the great satis- 
faction I felt at seeing Father Doutreleau, his arm in a scarf, ar- 
rive after a voyage of more than four hundred leagues, all the 
clothes he had on having been borrowed, except his cassock. 
My surprise was increased at the recital of his adventures. I 
placed him immediately in the hands of brother Parisel, who ex- 
amined his wounds, and who dressed them with great care and 
speedy success. 

The missionary was not yet entirely cured of his wounds, 



291 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

when he departed to go and act as chaplain to the French army, 
as he had promised the officers, in accordance with their request. 
He endured with them the fatigues of the campaign against the 
Natchez, and there gave new proofs of his zeal, his wisdom, and 
his courage. 

On his return from the Natchez, he came to recruit himself 
here for six weeks, which he found very long, but which appeared 
to me very short. He was impatient to return to his dear mis- 
sion, but it was necessary for me to fit him out generally with 
every thing proper for a missionary, and he was obliged to wait 
for the escort which was going to the Illinois. The risks which 
they ran on the river during this insurrection of the Indians, in- 
duced the Commander to forbid voyagers going in separate com- 
panies. He set out therefore, on the 16th of April, with many 
others, in a body sufficiently large to relieve them from all fear 
of their enemies. I learned in fact that they had proceeded 
above the Akensas, without any accident. 

The pleasure of seeing Father Doutreleau for the first time, 
and seeing him too after his escape from such imminent perils, 
was much impaired by the vivid grief I felt for the loss of two 
missionaries, with whose merit you were as well acquainted as 
myself You know that to a most amiable disposition, they united 
the appropriate qualifications for apostolical men, that they were 
very much attached to their mission, that they had already be- 
come well acquainted with the language of the Indians, that their 
earliest labors had produced great fruits, and they gave the pro- 
mise of still greater results, since neither of them was more than 
thirty-five or thirty-six years of age. This deprivation, which 
entirely occupied my thoughts, gave me no time for thinking of 
the loss we had sustained of their negroes and their effects, al 
though it very much deranged a mission which had just been 
commenced, and whose necessities you know better than any 
one else, 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 295 

But nothing has happened to these twQ excellent missionaries 
for which we should mourn, or for which they were not prepared 
when they devoted themselves to the Indian missions in this 
colony. This disposition alone, independent of every thing else, 
has without doubt placed a great difference in the eyes of God 
between their death and that of the others, who have fallen mar- 
tyrs to the French name. But I am well persuaded, that the 
fear of a similar fate will not in the least diminish the zeal of 
those of our Fathers who had thought of following them, neither 
will it deter our Superiors from responding to the holy desires 
they may have of sharing our labors. 

Knowing, as you do, my Beverend Father, the vigilance and 
the oversight of our Governor, you can well imagine that he did 
not sleep in this sad crisis in which we now found ourselves. We 
may say without flattery, that he surpassed himself by the rapid 
movements he made, and by the wise measures he adopted to 
revenge the French blood which had been shed, and to pre- 
vent the evils with which almost all the posts of the colony 
were threatened. 

As soon as he was apprised of this unexpected attack by the 
Natchez Indians, he caused the news to be carried to all the 
posts, and even as far as the Illinois, not by the direct and ordi- 
nary route of the river, which was closed, but on one side by 
Natchitoches and the Akensas^ and on the other by Mobile and the 
Tchicachas* He invited the neighbors who were our allies, and 
particularly the Tchactas^j to avenge this perfidy. He furnished 
arms and ammunition to all the houses of this city and to the 
plantations. He caused two ships, that is, the Due de Bourbon 
ind the Alexandre, to ascend the river as far as the Tonikas. These 
?hips were like two good fortresses against the insults of the In- 
dians, and in case of attack, two certain asylums for the women 
and children. He caused a ditch to be dug entirely around the 
[* The Chickasaws.] [t The Choctaws.] 



296 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

city, and placed guard-houses at the four extremities. He or- 
ganized for its defence many companies of city militia, who 
mounted guard during the whole night.* As there was more to 
fear in the grants and in the plantations than in the city, he for- 
tified them with the most care. He had good forts erected at 
Chapitoulas, at Cannes brilles, at Allemcuiids^ at Bayagoulas^ and at 
Pointe Coupee. 

At first, our Governor, listening only to the dictates of his own 
courage, adopted the design of placing himself at the head of the 
troops, but it was represented to him, that he ought not to quit 
New Orleans, where his presence was absolutely necessary, that 
there was danger of the Tchactas determining to fall upon the 
city, if it should be deprived of its troops ; and the negroes, to 
free themselves from slavery, might join them, as some had done 
with the Natchez. Moreover he could feel perfectly easy with 
regard to the conduct of the troops, as the Chevalier de Loubois, 
with whose experience and bravery he was well acquainted, had 
been appointed to command them. 

Whilst our little army was repairing to the Tonikas. seven 
hundred Tchactas mustered, and conducted by M. le Sueur, 
marched towards the Natchez. We were informed by a party of 
these people, that the Indians were not at all on their guard, but 
passed all their nights in dancing. The Tchactas took them 
therefore by surprise, and made a descent on them on the 27th 
of January, at the break of day. In less than three hours they 
had delivered fifty-nine persons, both women and children, with 
the tailor and carpenter, and one hundred and six negroes or ne- 
gro women with their children ; they made eighteen of the 

[* As late as 1750, Father Vivier thus describes New Orleans, in a letter : 
" It is tolerably handsome, the streets are laid out straight, some of the 
houses are brick and others of wood, and its population consists of French, 
negroeS; and some Indian slaves, who together do not seem to amount, as it 
appears to me, to more than a thousand or twelve hundred persons.] 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 297 



Natchez prisoners and took sixty scalps. They would have taken 
more, if they had not been intent on freeing the slaves, hs they 
had been directed. They had but two men killed and seven 
or eight wounded. They encamped with their prizes at the grant 
of St. Catherine, in a mere park enclosed with stakes. The vic- 
tory would have been complete, if they had waited the arrival of 
the French army, as had been agreed upon with their deputies. 

The Natchez seeing themselves attacked by the formidable 
Tchacias, regarded their defeat as certain, and shutting themselves 
up in two forts, passed the following nights in dancing their death 
dance. In their speeches we heard them reproaching the Tchac- 
ias for their perfidy, in declaring in favor of the French, contrary 
to the pledge they had given, to unite with them for our 
destruction. 

Three days before this action, the Sieur Mesplex landed at the 
Natchez with five other Frenchmen. They had volunteered to 
M. de Loubois, to carry to the Indians negotiations for peace, that 
they might be able under this pretext to gain information with 
regard to their force, and their present situation. But in 
descending from their boat, they encountered a party, who without 
giving them time to speak, killed three of their men, and made 
the other three prisoners. The next day they sent one of these 
prisoners with a letter, in which they demanded as hostages, the 
Sieur Broutin, who had formerly been Commander among them, 
and the Chief of the Tonikas. Besides, they demanded as the 
ransom for the women, children, and slaves, two hundred guns, 
two hundred barrels of powder, two hundred barrels of balls, two 
thousand gun flints, two hundred knives, two hundred hatchets, 
two hundred pickaxes, five hogsheads of brandy, twenty casks of 
wine, twenty barrels of vermilion, two hundred shirts, twenty 
pieces of limbourg, twenty pieces of cloth, twenty coats with lace 
on the seams, twenty hats bordered with plumes, and a hundred 
coats of a plainer kind. Their design was to massacre the French 

14* 



2P8 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

who should bring these goods. On the very same day, with every 
refinement in cruelty, their Iburned the Sieur Mesplex and his 
companion. 

On the 8th of February, the French, with the Tonikas^ and 
some other small tribes from the lower end of the Mississippi, 
arrived at the Natchez, and seized their temple dedicated to the 
sun. 

The impatience and impracticability of the Tchadas^ who 
like all these Indians are capable of only striking one blow, and 
then disperse, the small number of French soldiers who found 
themselves worn down by fatigues, the want of provisions which 
the Indians stole from the French, the failure of ammunition with 
which they were not able to satisfy the Tchactas^ who wasted one 
part of it, and placed the other in reserve to be used in hunting, 
the resistance of the Natchez who were well fortified, and who 
fought in desperation, all these things decided us to listen to the 
propositions which the besieged made, after the trenches had 
been opened for seven days. They threatened, if we persisted in 
the siege, to burn those of the French who remained, while on the 
other hand, they ofi'ered to restore them, if we would withdraw 
our seven pieces of cannon. These, in reality, for want of a good 
gunner, and under present circumstances, were scarcely in a fit 
state to give them any fear. 

These propositions were accepted, and fulfilled on both sides. 
On the 25th of February the besieged faithfully restored all that 
they had promised, while the besiegers retired with their cannon 
to a small fort which they had hastily built on the Escore near 
the river, for the purpose of always keeping the Natchez in check, 
and insuring a passage to the voyagers. M. Perrier gave the 
command of it to M. D'Artaguette, as an acknowledgment of the . 
intrepidity with which, during the seige, he had exposed himself 
to the greatest dangers, and everywhere braved death.* 
[* D'Artaguette, who thus won fame in the Natchez war, and even in 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 299 

Before the Tchactas had determined to fall upon the Natchez, 
they had been to them to carry the calumet, and were received in 
a very novel manner. They found them and their horses adorned 
with chasubles and drapery of the altars, many wore patens about 
their necks, and drank and gave to drink of brandy in the chali- 
ces and the pyx. And the Tchactas themselves, when they had 
gained these articles by pillaging our enemies, renewed this pro- 
fane sacrilege, by making the same use of our ornaments and 
sacred vessels in their dances and sports. We were never able to 

early youth was looked upon as the pride of Canada, met in after years 
with a melancholy fate. Appointed to the command of the Illinois, he was 
summoned in 1736 to lead his braves against the Chickasas from the North, 
while Bienville attacked them from the South. Accompanied by Father 
Senat; and by the gallant Vincennes, whose name is borne by the oldest set- 
tlement in Indiana, he stole unobserved into the country of the Chickasas,' 
at the head of about fifty French soldiers, and more than a thousand red 
men. But Bienville had been driven back, and D'Artaguette was obliged to 
hazard the attack alone. We give the rest of the narrative in the words of 
Bancroft {Hist, iii., p. 367) : — One fort was carried, and the Chickasas driven 
from the cabins it protected ; at the second, the intrepid youth was equally 
successful ; on attacking the third fort, he received one wound, and then 
another, and, in the moment of victory, was disabled. The red men from 
Illinois, dismayed at the check, fled precipitately. . . . The unhappy D'Ar- 
taguette lay weltering in his blood, and by his side fell others of his bravest 
troops. The Jesuit Senat might have fled : he remained to receive the last 
sigh of the wounded, regardless of danger, mindful only of duty. Vincennes, 
too, the Canadian, refused to fly, and shared the captivity of his galhxnt 
leader. After the Indian custom, their wounds were stanched ; they were 
received into the cabins of the Chickasas, and feasted bountifully. At last, 
when Bienville had retreated, the Chickasas brought the captives into a 
field ; and, while one was spared to relate the deed, the adventurous D'Ar- 
taguette ; the faithful Senat, true to his mission ; Vincennes, whose name 
will be perpetuated as long as the Wabash shall flow by the dwellings of 
civilized man; — these, with the rest of the captives, were bound to the 
stake ; and neither valor nor piety could save them from death by slow tor- 
ments and fire.''J 



300 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

recover more than a small portion of tliem. The greater part of 
their Chiefs have come here to receive payment for the scalps 
they have taken, and for the French and negroes whom they have 
freed. It is necessary for ns to buy very dearly their smallest 
services, and we have scarcely any desire to employ them again, 
particularly as they have appeared much less brave than the 
small tribes, who have not made themselves feared by their great 
number. Every year disease diminishes this nation, which is now 
reduced to three or four thousand warriors. Since these Indians 
have shown out their disposition here, we have not been able to 
endure them longer. They are insolent, ferocious, disgusting, 
importunate, and insatiable. We compassionate, and at the same 
time, we admire our Missionaries, that they should renounce all 
society, to have only that of these barbarians. 

I have renewed my acquaintance with Paatlako^ one of the 
chiefs, and with a great number of other Tchactas. They have 
made me many interesting visits, and have often repeated to me 
very nearly the same compliment which they paid me more than 
a year ago when I left them. " Our hearts and those of our 
children weep," they said to me, " since we shall not see you 
more ; you were beginning to have the same spirit with us, you 
listened to us, and we listened to you, you loved us and we loved 
you : why have you left us 1 will you not return ? come, go with 
us !" You know, my Reverend Father, that I was not able to 
yield to their wishes. I therefore merely said that I would 
come and rejoin them as soon as it was in my power, but that 
after all, I should be here only in the body, while my heart was 
with them. " That is good," replied one of these Indians, " but, 
nevertheless, your heart will say nothing to us, it will give us 
nothing." Thus it is that everything comes to that point ; they 
do not love us, and do not find us of the same spirit as them- 
selves, except when we are giving them something. 

It is true that Faatlako has fought with much courage against 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 301 

the Natchez, and has even received a musket ball in the loins, 
while to console him for this wound he has had more esteem and 
friendship shown him than the rest. Scarcely was he seen in his 
village, when, inflated with these trifling marks of distinction, he 
said to Father Baudouin, that all New Orleans has been in a 
wonderful state of alarm on account of his illness, and that M. 
Perrier had informed the king of his bravery and the great ser- 
vices he had rendered in the last expedition. In these traits I 
recognize the genius of this nation : it is presumption and vanity 
itself 

They had abandoned to the Tchactas three negroes who had 
been most unruly, and who had taken the most active part in be- 
half of the Natchez. They have been burned alive with a degree 
of cruelty which has inspired all the negroes with a new horror 
of the Indians, but which will have a beneficial effect in securing 
the safety of the colony. The Tonikas and other smaller tribes 
have gained some new advantages over the Natchez, and have 
taken many prisoners, of whom they have burned three women 
and four men, after having taken their scalps. Our own people, 
it is said, begin to be accustomed to this barbarous spectacle. 

We could not forbear being affected, when we saw arrive in 
this city, the French women whom the Natchez had made slaves. 
The miseries which they had suffered were painted on their 
countenances. But it seems as if tkey shortly forgot them ; at 
least, many of them were in great haste to marry again, and we 
are told there were great demonstrations of joy at their wed- 
dings. 

The little girls, whom none of the inhabitants wish to adopt, 
have greatly enlarged the interesting company of orphans whom 
the nuns are bringing up. The great number of these children 
only serves to increase their charity and attentions. They have 
formed them into a separate class, and have appointed two special 
matrons for their care. 



302 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

There is not one of this holy sisterhood but is delighted at 
having crossed the ocean, nor do they seek here any other happi- 
ness than that of preserving these children in their innocency, 
and giving a polished and Christian education to these young 
French, who are in danger of being almost as degraded as the 
slaves. We may hope, with regard to these holy women, that 
before the end of the year they will occupy the new mansion 
which is destined for them, and which they have for so long a 
time desired. When they shall once be settled there, to the in- 
struction of the boarders, the orphans, the girls who live without, 
and the negro women, they will add also the care of the sick in 
the hospital, and a house of refuge for women of questionable 
character. Perhaps they will even at length be able to aid in 
affording regularly each year " the retreat" to a large number of 
females, in accordance with the taste with which we have inspired 
them.* 

So many works of charity would, in France, be sufficient to 
occupy many associations and different insfitutions. But what 
cannot great zeal effect ? These different labors do not at all 
startle seven Ursulines, and by the grace of God they are able to 
sustain them, without infringing at all. on the observance of their 
religious rules. But for myself, I very much fear, that if some 
assistance does not arrive, they may sink under the weight of such 
great fatigues. Those who before they were acquainted with 
them, said they had come out too soon and in too great a number, 
have entirely changed their views and their language ; witnesses 
of their edifying conduct and the great services which they render 

[* In Europe it is customary for persons at particular seasons to retire for 
a time from the world, to give themselves up entirely to prayer and medita- 
tion. Some part of the season of Lent is generally selected for this purpose, 
and many, for the sake of more entire seclusion, take up their residence 
during this time in some religious house. This is called going into " re- 
treat," and is the custom to which Father le Petit here refers.] 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 303 

to tlie colony, they find that they have not arrived soon enough, 
and that there could not come too much of the same virtue and 
the same merit. 

The Tchikachas^ a brave nation but treacherous, and little known 
to the French, have endeavored to seduce the Illinois tribes from 
their allegiance : they have even sounded some particular per- 
sons to see whether they could not draw them over to the party 
of those Indians who were enemies of our nation. The Illinois 
have replied to them, that they were almost all of the Prayer, 
(that is, according to their manner of expression, that they are 
Christians,) and that in other ways they are inviolably attached 
to the French, by the alliances which many of that nation had 
contracted with them, in espousing their daughters. 

" We always place ourselves," added they, " before the ene- 
mies of the French ; it is necessary to pass over our bodies to 
go to them, and to strike us to the heart before a single blow 
can reach them." 

Their conduct is in accordance with this declaration, and has 
not in the least contradicted their words. At the first news of 
the war with the Natchez and the Yazous, they came hither to 
weep for the Black Robes and the French, and to offer the ser- 
vices of their nation to M. Perrier, to avenge their death. I 
happened to be at the Governor's house when they arrived, and 
was charmed with the speeches they made. Chikagou* whom 
you saw in Paris, was at the head of the Mitchigamias^ and 
Mamantouensa at the head of the Kaskakias. 

Chikagou spoke first. He spread out in the hall a carpet of 
deer skin, bordered with porcupine quills, on which he placed two 
calumets, with different Indian ornaments, accompanying them 
with a present according to the usual' custom. " There," said 
he, in showing these two calumets, " are two messages which 

[* Has not this Chief bequeathed his name to a flourishing city of Illi- 
nois — Chicago ?] 



304 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

we bring you, the one of religion, and the other of peace or war, 
as you shall determine. We have listened with respect to the 
Governors, because they bring us the word of the King our Fa- 
ther, and much more to the Black Robes, because they bring us 
the word of Grod himself, who is the King of kings. We have 
come from a great distance to weep with you for the death of 
the French, and to offer our braves to strike those hostile nations 
whom you may wish to designate. You have but to speak. 
When I went over to France, the king promised me his protec- 
tion for the Prayer, and recommended me never to abandon it. 
I will always remember it. Grant then your protection to us 
and to our Black Robes." He then gave utterance to the edify- 
ing sentiments with which he was impressed with regard to the 
Faith, as the interpreter Baillarjou enabled us to half understand 
them in his miserable French. 

Mamantouensa spoke next. His address was short, and in a 
style widely different from that which is usual among the In- 
dians, who a hundred times repeat the same thing in the same 
speech. 

" There," said he, addressing M. Perrier, " are two young 
slaves Padoukas, some skins, and 'some other trifles. It is but a 
small present which I make you ; nor is it at all my design 
to induce you to make me one more costly. All that I ask 
of you is, your heart and your protection. I am much more 
desirous of that than of all the merchandise of the world, and when 
I ask this of you, it is solely for the Prayer. My views of the 
war are the same as those of Chikagou, who has already spoken. 
It is useless therefore for me to repeat what you have just 
heard." 

Another old Chief, who had the air of an ancient patriarch, 
then rose. He contented himself with saying, that he wished to 
die as he had lived, in the Prayer. " The last words," added 
he, " which our fathers have spokon to us, when they were on 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 305 

the point of yielding up their latest breath, was to be always 
attached to the Prayer, and that there is no other way of being 
happy in this life, and much more in the next which is after 
death." 

M. Perrier, who has the deepest religious feelings, listened 
with evident pleasure to these Indian speeches. He abandoned 
himself to the dictates of his own heart, without taking the pre- 
caution to have recourse to the evasion and disguises which are 
often necessary, when one is treating with the generality of 
Indians. To each speech he made such an answer as good 
Christians should desire. He declined with thanks their offers 
of service for the war, since we were sufficiently strong against 
the enemies who lived at the lower end of the river, but advised 
them to be on their guard, and to undertake our defence against 
those who dwelt on the upper part of the same river. 

We always felt a distrust of the Fox Indians, although they 
did not longer dare to undertake anything, since Father Guignas 
has detached from their alliance the tribes of the Kikapous and 
the Maslioutins. You know, my Reverend Father, that being in 
Canada, he had the courage to penetrate even to the Sioux^ wan- 
dering Indians near the source of the Mississippi, at the distance 
of about eight hundred leagues from New Orleans, and six hu»- 
dred leagues from Quebec. Obliged to abandon this infant 
Mission, by the unfortunate result of the enterprise against the 
Foxes, he descended the river to repair to the Illinois. On the 
15th of October in the year 1728, he was arrested when half-way 
by the Kikapous and the Maskoutins. For five months he was a 
captive among these Indians, where he had much to suffer and 
every thing to fear. The time at last came when he was to be 
burned alive, and he prepared himself to finish his life in this 
horrible torment, when he was adopted by an old man, whose 
family saved his life, and procured him his liberty. Our mis- 
sionaries, who were among the Illinois, were no sooner acquainted 



306 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

with his sad situation, than they procured him all the alleviations 
they were able. Everything which he received, he employed to 
conciliate the Indians, and succeeded even to the extent of 
engaging them to conduct him to the Illinois, and ^hile there to 
make peace with the French and the Indians of that region. 
Seven or eight months after this peace was concluded, the Mas- 
koutins and the Kikajyous returned again to the Illinois country, 
and took away Father Guignas to spend the winter with them, 
from whence, in all probability he will return to Canada. He 
has been exceedingly broken down by these fatiguing journeys, 
but his zeal, full of fire and activity, seems to give him new 
sti-ength. 

The Illinois had no other residence but with us. during the 
three weeks they remained in this city. They charmed us by 
their piety, and by their edifying life. Every evening they 
recited the chapelet in alternate choirs, and every morning they 
heard me say Mass ; during which, particularly on Sundays and 
Festival days, they chanted the different prayers of the church 
suitable to the offices of the day. At the end of the Mass, they 
never fail to chant, with their whole heart, the prayer for the 
King. The nuns chanted the first Latin couplet in the ordinary 
tone of the Gregorian chant, and the Illinois continued the other 
couplets in their language in the same tone. This spectacle, 
which was novel, drew great crowds to the church, and inspired 
a deep devotion. In the course of the day, and after supper, 
they often chant, either alone or together, different prayers of the 
clmrch, such as the Dies Irce, <^c.., Vexilla Regis, ^-c, Stabat 
Mater, S^c. To listen to them, you would easily perceive that 
they took more delight and pleasure in chanting these holy can- 
ticles, than the generality of the Indians, and even more than 
the French receive from charting their frivolous and often disso- 
lute songs. 

You would be astonished, as I have myself been, on arriving 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. ?07 

at this mission, to find that a great number of our French are 
not, by any means, so well instructed in religion as are these 
neophytes ; they are scarcely unacquainted with any of the his- 
tories of the Old and New Testament ; the manner in which 
they hear the holy mass and receive the sacraments, is most 
excellent ; their catechism, which has fallen into my hands, with 
the literal translation made by Father Le BouUanger, is a perfect 
model for those who have need of such works in their new mis- 
sions. They do not leave these good Indians to be ignorant of 
any of our mysteries, or of our duties, but attach them to the 
foundation and the essentials of religion, which they have dis- 
played before them in a manner ecpally instructive and sound. 

The first thought which is suggested to those who become 
acquainted with these Indians, is, that it must have been at great 
cost of labor to the missionaries, and that it will be still more so, 
to form them into any kind of Christianity. But their assiduity 
and patience is abundantly recompensed by the blessings which 
it has pleased .God to pour out upon their labors. The Father 
Le Boullauger has written me word, that he is obliged, for the 
second time, considerably to enlarge his church, on account of the 
great number of Indians who each year have received baptism. 

The first time that the Illinois saw the nuns, Mamantomiisa, 
perceiving before them a troop of little girls, remarked — " I see, 
indeed, that you are not nuns without an object." He wished to 
say, that they were not mere solitaries, laboring only for their 
own perfection. " You are," he added, " like the Black Bobes, 
our Fathers ; you labor for others. Ah ! if we had above there 
two or three of your number, our wives and daughters would 
have more wit, and would be better Christians." "Ah, well!" 
the Mother Superior answered him, " choose those whom you 
wish." " It is not for me to choose," said Mamantouensa^ " it is 
for you who know them. The choice should fall on those who 
are most attached to God, and who love him most." 



308 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

You may well imagine, my Reverend Father, how much these 
holy females were charmed to find in an Indian, sentiments so 
reasonable and Christian-like. Alas ! it will take time and pains 
to teach the Tchactas to think and speak in this way. This in- 
deed can only he the work of Him, who knows how, when it 
pleases Him, to change the stones into children of Abraham. 

Chikagon gaurds most carefully, in a bag made expressly for 
the purpose, the magnificent snuff-box which the late Madame, 
the Duchess d' Orleans, gave him at Versailles. Notwithstand- 
ing all the offers made to him, he has never been willing to part 
with it, a degree of consideration very remarkable in an Indian, 
whose characteristic generally is, to be in a short time disgusted 
with anything he has, and passionately desire whatever he sees, 
but does not own. 

Everything which Chikagou has related to his countrymen, 
with regard to France, has appeared to them incredible. " They 
have bribed you," said some to him, " to make us believe all these 
beautiful fictions." " We are willing to believe," said his relatives, 
and those by whom his sincerity was least suspected, " that you 
have really seen all that you tell us, but there must have been 
some charm which fascinated your eyes, for it is not possible that 
France can be such as you have painted it." When he told them 
that in France they were accustomed to have five cabins, one on 
top of the other, and that they were as high as the tallest trees, 
that there were as many people in the streets of Paris, as there 
were blades of grass on the prairies, or musquitoes in the woods, 
and that they rode about there, and even made long journeys in 
moving cabins of leather, they did not credit it any more than 
when he added that he had seen long cabins full of sick people, 
where skilful surgeons performed the most wonderful cures. 
" Hear !" he would say to them in sport, " you may lose an arm, 
a leg, an eye, a tooth, a breast, if you are in France, and they 
will supply you with others, so that it will not be noticed." 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 309 

"What most embarrassed Mamantouensa^ wlien he saw the ships, 
was to know how it was possible to launch them into the water 
after they had been built on land, where arms enough could 
be found for this purpose, and above all to raise the anchors with 
their enormous weights. They explained both these points to 
him, and he admired the genius of the French who were capable 
of such beautiful inventions. 

The Illinois departed on the last day of June ; they were to 
unite with the Akensas^ for the purpose of falling on the Yazous 
and on the Corroys. These last having set out on their retreat 
to the TchikasaSj whither they were carrying the French scalps 
they had taken, were met on the way by the Tchatchousmas and 
by some Tchadas, who in their contest with them took eighteen 
scalps ajid delivered some French women with their children. 
Some time afterwards, they were again attacked by a party of 
the Ake?isas, who took from them four scalps, and made many of 
their women prisoners. These good Indians encountered on 
their return two boats of French hunters ; they passed their 
hands over them from head to foot, according to their custom, in 
testifying their sorrow for the death of the French, and of their 
Father in Jesus Christ. They made a solemn oath, that while 
one Akeiisa should be remaining in the world, the Natchez and 
the Yazous should never be without an enemy. They showed a 
bell and some books, which they were taking home, they said, 
for the first Black Chief who should come to their village. 
These were all that they had found in the cabin of Father 
Souel. 

I was in pain to learn what these barbarians had done with the 
body of this missionary, but a French woman who was then their 
slave, has informed me, that she at last induced them to give it 
burial. " I saw him," she would often say to me, '• lying on his back 
in the canes very near his house ; they had not taken from him any- 
thing but his cassock. Although he had been dead fifteen days, 



310 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

his skin was still as white, and his cheeks as red as if he were 
merely sleeping. I was tempted to examine where he had re- 
ceived the fatal blow, but respect stopped my curiosity ; I placed 
myself a moment at his knees, and have brought away his hand- 
kerchief which was near him." 

The faithful Akensas mourned every day in their village the 
death of Father du Poisson, and with the most earnest entrea- 
ties, demanded another missionary. We could not excuse our- 
selves iTom granting this request to a nation so amiable, and at 
all times so attached to the French, possessing too a degree of 
modesty of which the other nations were ignorant, and among 
whom there exists no peculiar obstacle to Christianity, except 
their extreme attachment to jugglery. 

But we have endeavored, my Keverend Father, to cons^ole our- 
selves in our grief with an argument of which you would never 
think. It is, that we may congratulate ourselves our loss has 
not been more general. In fact, the two dear missionaries for 
whom we mourn, did not appear to be by any means as much ex- 
posed to the cruelty of the Indians as are many others, particu- 
larly Father de Guyenne, and still more Father Baudouin. 

The latter is without any defence in the midst of the great na- 
tion of the Tchactas. We have always had a great distrust of 
these Indians, even at the time when they were making war for 
us upon the Natchez. Now they have become so inflated with 
their pretended victory, that we have much more need of troops 
to repress their insolence, and to keep them in their duty, than 
to finish the destruction of our open enemies. 

Father de Guyenne, after much opposition on the part of the 
Indians in the neighborhood of Carolina, succeeded in building 
two cabins in two difi"erent villages, to be near at hand to learn 
their language and to instruct them ; but they were both demol- 
ished. He will be obliged at last to confine his zeal to the 



THE MASSACRE BY THE NATCHEZ. 311 

Erench fort of the Alibamons^ or to seek a more abundant har- 
vest on the hanks of the Mississippi. 

It only remains, my Reverend Father, to inform you of the 
situation of our enemies. They are united near the river of the 
Ouachitas^ on which they have three forts. We believe that the 
Natchez are as yet in number about five hundred warriors, with- 
out counting their women and children ; they were scarcely more 
than seven hundred before the war. Among the Yazous and the 
Corroys there are not more than forty warriors. They have 
planted their corn between two little rivers which run near their 
forts. It would only be necessary to cut off this corn, to starve 
them during the winter, but the thing is not easy to effect, from 
<vhat the smaller tribes inform us, who harass them continually. 
The country is cut up by Bayouks* and filled with cane-brakes, 
where the inconceivable quantity of musquitoes would not permit 
an ambuscade to be established for any length of time. 

The Natchez, who were shut up in their forts since the last ex- 
pedition, have begun again to show themselves. Incensed that 
a party from Oumas and Bayagoulas had captured one of their 
boats, in which were seven men, a woman, and two children, they 
went in great numbers near a small fort, where they have sur- 
prised ten Frenchmen and twenty negroes. There was but one 
small soldier with two negroes who were able to save themselves. 
He had formerly escaped the massacre made by the Natchez by 
concealing himself in an oven, and this time he escaped by hid- 
ing in the trunk of a tree. 

You can well believe, my Reverend Father, that this war has 
retarded the French colony ; nevertheless, we flatter ourselves 
that this misfortune will be productive of benefit, by determining 
the Court to send the forces necessary to tranquillize the colony 
and render it flourishing. Although they have nothing to fear 
at New Orleans, either from the smaller neighboring tribes, 
[* A bayou is a water-com-se comiecting the lakes or rivers.] 



312 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

whom our negroes alone could finish in a single morning, or even 
from the Tchadas^ who would not dare to expose themselves on 
the lake in any great numbers, yet a panic terror has spread it- 
self over almost every spirit, particularly with the females. 
They will, however, be reassured by the arrival of the first troops 
from France, whom we are now constantly expecting. As far as 
our missionaries are concerned, they are very tranquil. The per- 
ils to which they see themselves exposed seem to increase their 
joy and animate their zeal. Be mindful then of them and of 
me in your holy prayers, in the union with which I am with re 
spect, &c. 



[It may, perhaps, interest the reader to know the future history of the 
Natchez. They had fled across the Mississippi, and erected their fortifica- 
tions about 180 miles up the Red River. Here the letter of Father le Petit 
leaves them. The French, having obtained a reinforcement, pursued them, 
attacked them in their fort, and after a sanguinary struggle, obliged them to 
surrender at discretion. Their women and children were reduced to slavery, 
and compelled to work in the plantations. Of the surviving warriors, some 
fled still farther to the West, some remained with the Chickasas, and others 
found a shelter among the Muskhogees, among whom their ancient language 
is still preserved. The Great Sun and more than four hundred prisoners 
were shipped to Hispaniola, and sold as slaves. Thus perished the tribe of 
the Natchez.! 



MISSION TO THE ILLINOIS. 



1750. 



LETTER XI 



FROM FATHER VIVIER, OF THE COMPANY OF JESUS, TO A FATHER 
OF THE SAME COMPANY. 



At Illinois, the 17th of Novemberj 1750. 

MY REVEREND FATHER, 

The Peace of our Lord be with you : 

I ACCEPT with pleasure the proposition which you make. 
The slight merit that I can acquire by my labors I willingly 
consent to share with you, in the assurance which you give, that 
you will aid me with your holy prayers. I gain too much by this 
association not to enter into it with all my heart. 

Another point which you desire, and on which I am going to 
satisfy you, is the detail of our Missions. We have three stations 
in this part of the world, one of Indians, one of French, and a 
third composed partly of French and partly of Indians. 

The first contains more than six hundred Illinois, all bap- 
tized with the exception of five or six; but the "fire water" 
which is sold them by the French, and especially by the soldiers, 
in spite of the reiterated prohibitions on the part of the king, 
and that which is sometimes distributed to them, under pretext 
of maintaining them in our interests, has ruined that Mission, 
and caused the greater part of its converts to abandon our holy 
religion. The Indian, and particularly the Illinois, who at other 
times are the gentlest and most tractable of men, become when 
intoxicated, frantic and brutally ferocious. Then, they attack 
each other with their knives, inflicting terrible wounds. Some 
have lost their ears, and others a part of the nose, in these tragi- 



316 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

cal scenes. The greatest good that we do among them, is the 
administration of baptism to children who are at the point of 
death. It is at this station that I have my ordinary residence 
with Father Guienne, who acts as my instructor in the study of 
the Illinois language. 

The French Cure where Father Vattrin labors, is composed 
of more than four hundred French of every age, and more than 
two hundred and fifty negroes. The third Mission, seventy 
leagues from here, is much smaller ; it is under the charge of 
Father Meurin. The rest of our Mission in Louisiana consists of 
a residence at New Orleans, where the Superior G-eneral of the 
Mission lives, together with one of the Fathers, and two Lay- 
Brethren. We have there a large plantation, which is now in 
a good condition. It is from the revenues of this plantation, to- 
gether with their pensions from the king, that the wants of the 
Missionaries are supplied. 

When the Mission is sufficiently provided with laborers, (and 
in this colony they ought to be at least twelve in number,) we 
must establish one among the Akansas, another among the 
Tchactas, and a third among the Alibamons. The Reverend Fa- 
ther Baudouin, the actual Superior General of the Mission, resided 
formerly among the Tchactas ; he remained for eighteen years 
among these savages. When he was on the point of reaping some 
fruits from his labors, the troubles which the English excited in 
that nation, and the peril to which he was evidently exposed, 
obliged Father Vitri, then Superior General, in concert with the 
Governor, to recall him to New Orleans. Now that these diffi- 
culties begin to abate, they think of re-establishing the Mission. 
Father Moran has been for some years among the Alibamons. 
The impossibility however of exercising his ministry there, for 
the benefit either of the Indians or French, has induced the Supe- 
rior to recall him, that he might be entrusted with the direction of 
the Nuns and of the Royal Hospital which is now under our charge. 



MISSION TO THE ILLINOIS. 317 

The English trade, as well as tlie French, among the Aliba- 
mon Indians. You can easily imagine what an obstacle this 
presents to the progress of Religion, for the English are always 
ready to excite controversy. Among the Akansas we have now 
actually no one, were those poor savages in a state to make any 
choice on this subject. Such, my Reverend Father, is the state 
of our Mission. The rest of my letter will be taken up with a 
short description of the country. 



* 



On ascending the Mississippi, we find French settlements above 
New Orleans as well as below. The largest of these is a little 
colony originally founded by Germans, {Allemamls) at ten leagues 
distance from the city. Pointe Coupee is thirty-five leagues 
from the Germans ; they have constructed there a fort of pine, 
in which a small garrison is maintained. On the western bank 
of the river, we can count sixty settlements in a space of five or 
six leagues. Fifty leagues from Pointe Coupee is Natchez ; here 
we have scarcely more than a garrison imprisoned, so to speak, in 
a fort, through fear of the Chicachcds and other hostile Indians. 
There were formerly as many as sixty dwellings at this point, and 
a powerful Indian tribe by the name of the Natchez, who were 
much attached to us, and from whom we received important ser- 
vices ; but the tyranny which a French Commander exercised to- 
wards them, drove them to extremities. In one single day they 
put all the French to the sword, with the exception of a few who 
managed to escape. One of our Fathers who was descending the 
Mississippi, and who was induced to remain for the purpose of 

{* We omit the greater part of this letter, because the descriptions of the 
Illinois country are but a repetition of those given by Father Marest in the 
former letter. The parts we have selected are interesting, as showing the 
state in 1750 of those missions and settlements of which Fathers du Poisson 
and le Petit gave an account more than twenty years before. This lettei, 
therefore, furnishes a fit conclusion to their narratives.] 



318 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

saying Mass on Sunday, was involved in the destruction. Since 
then we have avenged this blow by the almost total annihilation 
of the Natchez tribe. There remain but a few of them scattered 
among the Chicachats and the Cheraquis, where their situation is 
as precarious as that of slaves. 

A hundred leagues above the Natchez are the Akansas, an In- 
dian tribe of about four hundred warriors. We have near them 
a garrisoned fort, to furnish succors to the convoys which are as- 
cending to the Illinois country. At this place there were formerly 
some settlers, but in the month of May, 1748, the Chicachats, our 
irreconcilable enemies, aided by other savage tribes, attacked this 
post suddenly, killed several persons, and led thirteen away cap- 
tive. The rest took refuge in the fort, which contained at that 
time not more than a dozen soldiers. They made a show of at- 
tacking it, but had not lost more than two men when they beat 
a retreat. Their drummer was a French deserter from this same 
garrison at the Akansas. 

The distance from the Akansas to the Illinois is nearly one 
hundred and fifty leagues ; through all that extent of country 
there is not a single settlement. Nevertheless, to ensure us its 
possession, it would be well if we had a good fort upon the 
Ouabache* the only place where the English can enter the Mis- 
sissippi. 

There are in this part of Louisianaf five French villages, and 
three belonging to the Illinois, in a space of twenty-two leagues, 
situated on an extensive prairie, bounded at the east by a chain 
of mountains, and the river of the Tamarouas, and at the west by 
the Mississippi. These five French villages contain about one 

[* The Ohio river.] 

[t Father Vivier is here speaking of the country now called Illinois. The 
name of Louisiana seems then to have been given to the whole West.] 



MISSION TO THE ILLINOIS. 319 

hundred and forty families. The three Indian villages can fur- 
nish three hundred men capable of bearing arms. 

At the north and north-west, the country is unlimited in ex- 
tent. It comprises that immense tract watered by the Missouri 
and its tributary streams, the most beautiful region in the world. 
What a field do these Indian tribes offer for the zeal of the mis- 
sionary ! They belong to the district of the priests of the For- 
eign Missions, to whom for several years past the Bishop of 
Quebec has given them in charge. There are three of these 
priests here, who have charge of the two French Cures ; nothing 
can be more lovely than their character, or more edifying than 
their conduct. We live with them as if we were members of the 
same fraternity. 

Among the tribes in Missouri, there are some who seem most 
favorably disposed for the reception of the Gospel ; for example, 
the Panismahas. One of the priests of whom I have just spoken, 
wrote one day to a Frenchman who was trading with these In- 
dians, and begged him in his letter to baptize those of their chil- 
dren whom he found at the point of death. The Chief of the 
village seeing the letter, asked, "What is the news?" "None," 
answered the Frenchman. "What!" said the Indian, "because 
we are red men, may we not know the news V " It is from the 
Black Chief," replied the Frenchman, " he has written advising 
me to baptize the children who are dying, so that they may go to 
the Great Spirit." The Indian Chief, perfectly satisfied, said to 
him, " Do not put yourself to any trouble in this matter, I will 
take upon myself the task of giving you notice whenever there 
shall be a child in danger." He assembled his people: "What 
do you think," said he to them, " of this Black Chief ?" (for it is 
thus that they call the missionaries,) "we have never seen him, 
we have never done him any service, he dwells far from us to- 
wards the rising of the sun, and yet he thinks of our village ; 



320 JESUITS IN AMERICA. 

he wishes to do us good, and when our children come to die, he 
wishes to send them to the Great Spirit ; this Black Chief must 
be very good." 

Some merchants who came from his village, told me of traits 
which prove, that though a savage, he is not wanting in wit or 
good sense. At the death of his predecessor, the votes of his 
tribe were unanimously given in his favor. He at first excused 
himself from accepting the rank of Chief, but at last, being con- 
strained to acquiesce, " You wish, then," said he, " that I should 
be your Chief; I consent to it, but know that I will be in reality 
Chief, and in this capacity will exact implicit obedience. Hitherto 
the widows and orphans have been much neglected ; I require 
that in future their wants shall be provided for ; and in order 
that they may never be forgotten, I require that they shall receive 
the first share." He therefore ordered his Escapia^ who is his 
steward, whenever they went to the chase, to reserve a quantity 
of food sufl&cient for the widows and orphans. 

These people have as yet but few guns among them. They 
hunt on horseback with arrows and lances. They surround a 
herd of buflfaloes, and but few of them escape. The animals 
being brought down, the Escapia of the Chief lays his hand on a 
certain number of them, which form the portion of the widows 
and orphans, and no one is permitted to touch any of them. One 
of the hunters having, inadvertently without doubt, commenced 
cutting from this portion, the Chief killed him on the spot with 
his gun. 

This Chief receives the French with great distinction. He 
does not permit them to eat except with himself, or with some 
Chief of a strange tribe, if he happens to meet with any. He 
honors with the title of the Sun the most despicable of the French 
who find their way to his village, and therefore says, that the sky 
is always clear as long as the French remain there. A month 
ago he came to salute our Commander, and I went to the fort of 



MISSION TO THE ILLINOIS. 321 

Chartres, six leagues from hence, on purpose to see him. I found 
him to he an exceedingly handsome man. He treated me with 
great politeness, and invited me to go and give the spirit to his 
people, that is to say, to instruct them. His village, according to 
the report of the French who have been there, can furnish nine 
hundred men capable of bearing arms. 

In conclusion, I would remark, that this country is of much 
greater importance than is commonly supposed. From its situa- 
tion alone it is well that France should spare no pains to preserve 
it. It is true that it has not yet enriched the coffers of the King, 
and that it is expensive to defend it ; but it is not less true that 
the tranquillity of Canada and the safety of the whole lower 
colony depend on it. Certainly without this post, there would be 
no land communication between Louisiana and Canada. Another 
consideration is, that many parts of Canada, and all those below 
the river, would be deprived of the provisions which are brought 
from the Illinois, and which are often their chief dependence. 
By establishing here a permanent settlement, the King would 
prevent all these inconveniences, and would confirm himself in 
the possession of the most extensive and most beautiful country 
in Northern America. To be entirely convinced of this, he has 
only to cast his eyes on the map of Louisiana, to consider the 
situation of the Illinois, and the multitude of tribes to whom this 
post would serve as a barrier. 

I am, in the communion of our holy faith, &o 
15* 



INDEX 



Abnakis, manners and customs 

of, 24. 
Amalingans, baptism of, 49. 
Amalingans, conference "with, 45. 
Arkansas, mission to the, 257. 

Badouin, Father, 310. 
Baptism of an Indian girl, 43. 
Baton Rouge, 243. 
Beaubois, Father de, 231. 
Bellemont, M. de, 76. 
Benac, M. de, 236. 
Bergier, M. de, 211, 214. 
Bineteau, Father, 206, 209. 
Bourg la Marque, M. du, 184. 
Bruyas, Father, 85, 99. 
Buisson, M. du, 241. 

Cannibals, 155, 157. 

Canoes, 25, 153. 

Catherine, the Iroquois saint, 81, 

86. 
Chardon, Father, 221, 223. 
Chasse, Father de la, 12, 69. 
Chaumont, Father, 29. 
Chepar, M. de, 286. 
Chollonec, Father, 81, 121. 
Church and Chapels, 2, 6, 42, 68, 

CO. 
Codere, M. du, 286, 290. 
Colombi^re, M. de la, 115. 



Copperel, M., 154. 
Corbi^se, M. de, 152. 

Daloes, Father, 206. 

D'Artaguette, M., 298. 

Davion, M., 246. 

Des Noyers, Madame, 288. 

Doutreleau, Father, 231, 292,294. 

Dubreuil, M., 233. 

Dudley, Gov., conference with, 

51, 55. 
Dumas, Father, 231, 241, 250, 

252. 

English ill treatment of Indians, 

9. 
English interference with French 

missions, 7, 15. 
Etienne, the martyr, 119, 131. 

Fiesch, M., 188. 

Fishing, 39, 58, 61, 144 

Fontbranc, M., 169. 

Fort George, 168. 

Fort George, expedition against,' 

161, 163. 
Fort George, surrender of, 177. 
Fort Lidis, 148, 167, 174, 181. 
Fort Vaudreuil, 145. 
Fran(joise, the martyr, 124. 
French and Indian war, incidents 

of,. 148, 163, 171, 174, 182. 



324 



INDEX. 



Fremin, Father, 85, 124. 

Fruits, 198, 238, 

Funeral rites of Indians, 166, 282. 

Germans, 236, 262. 
Grant, explanation of a, 233. 
Gravier, Father, 205, 215, 224. 
Great Hare, family of the, 32, 34. 
Guienne, Father de, 232. 
Guignas, Father, 305. 

Hunting and game, 39, 58, 61, 
196, 209, 235. 

Illinois country, 196, 

Illinois country, journey through, 

30, 36, 216. 
Illinois, character and customs of, 

of, 37, 199, 306, 315. 
Indian children, 26. 
Indian corn, 27. 
Indian devotion to missionary, 

61. 
Indian dress and ornaments, 37, 

83, 198. 
Indian feast, 36. 
Indian religion, 6, 44, 106, 147, 

200. 
Indian warfare, 54, 218, 277. 
Indian character, 158; 194, 223, 

258. 
Indian language, 27. 
logues, Father, 84. 
Iroquois, missionaries to the, 84. 

Jamonville, M. de, 174. 
Jeanne, the martyr, 133. 

Koli, M. de, 283. 

Kolly, Messieurs de, 286. 

Lamlberville, Father, 87. 



I Laurel, 3. 

I Luth, M. du, 116. 

I Launay, M. de, 173. 

Laws, M., 261. 

Le Petit, Father, 232, 268. 

Levi, Chevalier de, 152, 154, 163, 
167, 180. 

Le Sueur, M., 296. 

Longrays, Messieurs de, 286. 

Manitou of Indians, 34, 200. 
Maple sugar, 6. 
Marest, Father, 193, 215. 
Marin, M., 148. 
Mathavet, M., 140, 165. 

Marquet, Father, 205. 
Marguerite, the martyr, 127. 
Marriage customs, 86, 275. 
Massacre by the Natchez, 285. 
Medicine men, 200, 280. 
Mermet, Father, 202, 210, 215. 
Mezieres, M., 244. 
Michigan Lake, 222. 
Michillimakinac, 222. 
Mississippi river, 196. 
Mississippi river, floods on, 236. 
Mississippi, voyage up the, 231. 
Missouri river, 196, 226. 
Montcalm, Marquis de, 145, 163, 

. 165, 169, 177, 175, 181. 
Moreau, M., 169. 
Musquitoes, 237, 239. 

Nanrantsouack village, 2, 50. 
Nanrantsouack, attack on, 70. 
Natchez, 247, 267, 317. 
Natchez, character and customs 

of, 269, 282, 300. 
Natchez, temple of, 268. 



INDEX. 



325 



Ohio or Ouabache river, 197, 226. 
Orleans, Mad. la Duchesse de, 
308. 

Periet, Father, 211. 
Perrier, M., 287, 298, 301, 303. 
Philibert, Father, 247. 
Picquet, M., 140, 186. 
Pinet, Father, 206. 
Plantations, 234. 
Poisson, Father du, 231, 257, 310. 
Polygamy, 42, 276. 
Prayer, 27, 41. ■ 

Prisoners, treatment of, 41, 149, 
155. 

Rasles, Father, 1, 6, 23, 69, 72. 
Rasles, Father, death of, 70. 
Rattlesnakes, 162. 
Religious services, 4, 204, 212. 
Roches, Chevalier des, 290. 
Roubaud, Father, 139. 

Saint Casteins, M. de, 13. 
Saint Come, M. de, 243. 
Saintout, M. de, 146. 



Saint Michel, M. de, 126. 
Saint Regis, picture of, 253. 
Scioux Indians, 225. 

Simon, 232. 
Souel, Father, 232, 242, 250, 263, 

290. 

Tartarin, Father, 231. 

Thracy, M. de, 83. 

Tonicas, 244. 

Tonti, Chevalier de, 195 

Tripe de Roche, 31, 63. 

Trees, 197. 

Turtles' eggs, 248. 

Ursins, M. des, 286. 

Vaudreuil, Marquis de, 10, 13, 

139. 
Veillers, M. de, 174. 
Ville, Father de, 226 
Virot, Father, 139. 

War feast, 141. 
Wax, 3. 

Yonn, Colonel, 181. 



V 



n 




-.■:'€i!iif^.i-,i:::J;yr:- 



■'!);t;i^:;!,!';' ^^ri■i'-''•1^;l:!>,^^•^■^• 
';::ti),''ri'r:!!>iHi^')i';Mi;!!i' 



I. \..<«A'>" "^^ 1 I.) /■■«li'r>M' 




